March Social Security checks began arriving on the third of the month and will continue through the 31st. When your first payment arrives depends on your birthday.
Beneficiaries who filed claims after May 1, 1997, and receive retirement, disability or survivor benefits are paid on either the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month. If you received benefits before May 1997, you also have a specific payment date. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments are distributed monthly, usually on the first day of the month.
The Social Security Administration prepares its payment schedules well in advance of checks being sent out. This ensures you receive your payments on time. For March, the recent cost of living adjustment (COLA), implemented in January, is factored in.
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That means you should see a small uptick in your monthly Social Security checks, which should have started in January. The 2.5% cost-of-living (COLA) increase added a little less than $50 to the average monthly benefit of about $1,900, according to the SSA. That’s down from a 3.2% COLA in 2024, but in line with the average 2.6% increase over the past two decades.
So, when will you see your March 2025 payment?
The March Social Security payment calendar
If you collect Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or retirement benefits, your benefit payment date is determined by your birthday. If you get auxiliary benefits on someone else’s earnings record, spousal or survivor benefits, for example, your payment date is determined by that person’s birthday, not yours.
March Social Security payment dates
These are the dates you can expect your monthly payments in March 2025:
- March 3: You would have received your Social Security payment on this date if you also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), if your state pays your Medicare premiums, you live outside of the U.S., or you have been receiving Social Security since before May 1, 1997.
- March 12: You would have received your Social Security payment on the 12th, the second Wednesday of the month, if your birthday is between the 1st and 10th of your birth month.
- March 19: You should receive your Social Security payment on the third Wednesday in March if your birthday is between the 11th and the 20th of your birth month.
- March 26: If your birthday falls after the 20th of your birth month, you should get your Social Security payment on the fourth Wednesday in March.
Note: When the first day of the month falls on a weekend, your Social Security payment will go out on the last Friday of the previous month. That means that SSI recipients received their March payment on Friday, Feb. 28.
For a more detailed 2025 schedule, see our story, Social Security Payment Schedule for 2025
How to report a missing Social Security payment
If you don’t receive your electronic payments on the scheduled date, contact your bank or financial institution. Sometimes, the Social Security Administration experiences a delay in posting your payment.
If you still need help, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local Social Security office.
Want more guidance on retirement savings? Sign up for Kiplinger's six-week series, Invest for Retirement.
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