Some Americans will receive two Social Security payments this week, a rare occurrence as a result of an anomaly in the system.
Typically, the Social Security Administration makes only one payment each week, delivering Social Security checks on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month. Supplemental Social Security Income, which provides assistance to disabled and low-income older Americans, is then paid on the first of the month, excluding weekends and holidays.
March 1st coincides with the fourth Wednesday of February, so some SSI recipients will receive both payments this week. That means approximately 7.4 million SSI recipients will receive their March payments on Friday, March 1st.
To be clear, a rolling deposit does not mean the retiree will receive additional money, it is simply an advance payment for the next month.
That will happen two more times this year, in August and November, according to the payment schedule on the Social Security Administration’s website.
Retirees have seen a modest increase in the cost of living this year, but many report they are struggling to make ends meet as they continue to battle high inflation that is rapidly eroding their purchasing power.
A recent study published by Atticus found that an overwhelming percentage of seniors collecting Social Security (approximately 62%) are dissatisfied with the 3.2% increase in benefits they will receive in 2024. did.
In fact, nearly three in five seniors report experiencing financial hardship because the cost of necessities such as food, rent, and medical care remains uncomfortably high, while Social Security About 20% of seniors receiving benefits say they plan to get a job this year due to the small increase.
Retirees reported concerns about rising costs for utilities, insurance, heating, and food.
More than 66 million Americans collecting Social Security received higher payments starting in January.
This payment increase is a significant decrease from 2023, when recipients received an 8.7% increase, the highest in 40 years. However, it is still higher than the average 2.6% increase recorded over the past 20 years.
An increase of this size brings the average retiree benefit amount to $1,907, an increase of approximately $59 per month.
Annual social security changes are calculated based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Salaries and Office Workers (CPI-W) for July, August, and September.
