New York’s Staten Island — Recent changes could affect the monthly checks that tens of millions of Americans receive from Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in 2025.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), around 67 million Americans received Social Security benefits on average each month in 2023, with over $1 trillion in benefits handed out over the course of the year.
According to the administration, Social Security benefits account for around 30% of the income of Americans 65 and older, making the monthly payments a priceless resource for millions of senior residents.
Millions of Americans will get higher monthly benefit amounts as a result of changes announced throughout the year, which will also facilitate benefit applications and improve the log-in process for online accounts.
Here are four significant changes to Social Security that you should be aware of in 2025.
LARGER MONTHLY ADVANTAGES
In October, the SSA proposed a 2.5% 2025 cost of living adjustment (COLA) that will increase Social Security benefits for Americans by around $50 per month beginning on January 1, 2025.
With the COLA average 2.6% for the previous 20 years, the 2.5% increase is the lowest since 2020, when monthly payments increased by just 1.3%. Nevertheless, it is comparatively consistent with previous increases.
Third-quarter data from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the months of July, August, and September are used to calculate cost-of-living adjustments.
The COLA rate for the following year is calculated by adding the inflation for those three months, averaging them, and comparing them to the third-quarter average from the prior year. The percentage difference between the current year and the prior year is used.
SSI EASIER APPLICATIONS
The Social Security Administration (SSA) started providing a simplified online application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to a limited number of applicants in December 2024. By late 2025, the program will be extended to all applicants.
We have asked our employees, advocates, and numerous applicants over the past year how we might streamline and ease the SSI application process. “We are now taking a significant first step to accomplish that,” stated Social Security Commissioner Martin O. Malley. We are dedicated to realizing that goal over the next years because we believe that those in our communities who depend on this vital safety net should have the dignity of an application process that is less onerous and more accessible than what we now have.
The SSI application was changed to a simpler, totally online iClaim application that uses user-tested, plain-language questions, pre-populated answers, and smooth, step-by-step transitions. SSI pays monthly benefits to low-income seniors and those with disabilities.
First-time applicants between the ages of 18 and 65 who have never married and are applying for both SSI and Social Security benefits at the same time can already use the new approach; in late 2025, it will be extended to all SSI applicants.
SSI ELIGIBILITY AND PAYMENTS
A new regulation announced by the Social Security Administration in May made more Americans eligible for SSI and may enhance benefits for those who already receive it. The change went into effect in September.
The rule broadens the definition of a public assistance home to encompass households with some, but not all, individuals receiving public assistance, as well as those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments.
In order for someone to be eligible for SSI under the prior rules, all household members had to be receiving public assistance.
According to the administration, the enlarged definition will make it possible for more people to be eligible for SSI, raise the payment amounts for some SSI beneficiaries, and lessen the reporting requirements for those who live in families that receive public assistance.
According to a Money.com report, the new regulation is likely to increase SSI benefits for about 277,000 current recipients and increase eligibility for SSI for about 109,000 additional persons.
The maximum monthly payments for SSI, which are now set at $943 for individuals and $1,415 for couples, are being received by over 7.4 million U.S. residents.
A NEW LOGIN PROCEDURE
Residents who created their My Social Security online account prior to September 18, 2021, must switch to a Login.gov account in order to continue using their online services, the SSA stated in August.
The change, according to officials, is intended to align all accounts with federal authentication standards and streamline the log-in process for the millions of Americans who receive Social Security benefits.
My Social Security accounts give me information about managing current benefits, predicting future benefits, replacing Social Security cards, and the status of applications.
Account holders will be encouraged to swiftly switch to Login.gov after logging into their My Social Security account in order to move.
A confirmation screen will show up after the accounts are linked, and users will have access to all of their personal data and service choices.
Holders of existing Login.govorID.me accounts are not required to take any action or open a new account.
Check out this Social Security Administration YouTube video for a detailed tutorial on how to transfer your account.
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