2025 Social Security COLA: Will SSDI Recipients Receive It in December?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has confirmed the schedule for the 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for eligible SSDI recipients, which will take effect in January 2025. However, the COLA boost will not be available in 2024 for those on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Instead, only recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will receive the 2025 COLA increase in 2024, with their payments arriving on December 31, 2024.
When Will SSDI Recipients Receive the 2025 COLA Increase?
The first SSDI payment reflecting the 2025 COLA increase will be issued on January 3, 2025. To qualify for this payment, you must have filed for benefits before May 1997. For other SSDI recipients, the following payment schedule applies based on your birthdate:
- January 8, 2025: SSDI recipients born from the 1st to the 10th of the month.
- January 15, 2025: SSDI recipients born from the 11th to the 20th.
- January 22, 2025: SSDI recipients born from the 21st to the 31st.
How Much Will the COLA Increase SSDI Benefits?
The 2025 COLA will result in a 2.5% increase for all SSDI recipients. For example, if you receive $1,000 per month, your payment will rise by $25, bringing your new monthly total to $1,025.
For those receiving the average SSDI benefit of $1,542 in 2024, the COLA boost will increase the payment to approximately $1,580, adding about $38 per month. This increase is slightly lower than the average boost for retirees due to the different methods of calculation used for SSDI and retirement benefits.
The largest SSDI payment will increase from $3,822 to $4,018, reflecting the higher taxable maximum, which increases more than the standard COLA adjustment.
These changes provide important financial relief for SSDI recipients, even though the boost is more modest compared to the increases some other beneficiaries may receive.
