Social Security is an insurance program that provides monthly benefits to an array of vulnerable individuals living under varying circumstances such as retirees, survivors, or disabled individuals. These monthly benefit payments are rolled out by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as per the agency’s official schedule which can be found on its website.
The SSA makes payments to beneficiaries for several types of benefits, including the regular Social Security benefit for retirees, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit for seniors and the blind with little to no other resources, and the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit for disabled individuals. The Supplemental Security Income benefit payments are usually made on the first of each month, whilst both the regular Social Security benefit, as well as the Social Security Disability Insurance benefit payments are made on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month depending on the birth date of the recipient.
At the beginning of the year, benefit amounts increased by 2.5% as the annual Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, had come into effect. As such, here is everything you need to know about the monthly Monthly Social Security Disability Pay Chart.
Social Security COLA for the year
Each year, benefit amounts are adjusted to account for the effects of inflation and this is known as the Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA. The annual COLA announcement is one beneficiaries anxiously await each year as any sort of rise in costs can cause severe financial strain on the households of those living on a fixed income. As such, by enacting a COLA each year, the buying power of the benefit can be retained somewhat. For 2025, the COLA was 2.5% and as a result, benefits were, on average, increased by $50.
The COLA is calculated by taking the third quarter data of the CPI-W of the current year and measuring it against the third quarter CPI-W data of the previous year. Any year over year increase becomes the next COLA and this is announced by the Social Security Administration annually in October. Each year, the SSI benefits are also increased due to the COLA.
Social Security Disability Benefits Pay Chart for 2025
In 2024, the maximum SSI payments for an eligible individual was $11,321.49 annually, whilst an eligible couple received $16,453.84 annually, and an essential person received $5,673.73 annually. With the 2.5% COLA increase that came into effect as of January 2025, for this year, the maximum SSI payment for an eligible individual is $11,604.53 annually, or $967 monthly. An eligible couple will receive $17,404.87 annually, or $1,450 monthly, and an essential person will receive $5,815.57 annually, or $484 monthly.
A complete summary of maximum benefit amounts for 2025 is as follows:
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – The maximum benefit amount is $967 monthly for individuals and $1,450 monthly for couples.
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) – The maximum benefit amount is $4,018 monthly (increased from $3,822 in 2024).
- The maximum family benefit for SSDI is from 85% to 150% of the disabled worker’s benefit.
- The maximum payment at full retirement age is $4,018 monthly. However, if you retire prior to your full retirement age, for instance at age 62, your benefit is $2,831. Additionally, if you delay claiming retirement beyond your full retirement age and retire at age 70, your benefit increases to $5,108.
It should be noted that the full retirement age increased in 2025 and is now 66 years and ten months for those born in 1959. Additionally, in 2026, the full retirement age will increase to 67 years for those born in 1960 and later, and following this the full retirement age will no longer increase.
In order to qualify for SSI benefits, total resources must not exceed $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. As such, the maximum monthly SSI federal payments are as follows, as per the SSA:
- $967 for an eligible individual
- $1,450 for an eligible couple
- $484 for an essential person