Why some Social Security recipients may not receive a payment in June

(NEXSTAR) — Believe it or not, June is already upon us. While the month will likely bring some of the warmest weather we’ve seen all year (summer technically begins in a few weeks), it likely won’t bring a Social Security payment to your mailbox.

This happens a few times throughout the calendar year, especially after a month like May.

Last month, recipients of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, received an extra payment. May is one of three double SSI payment months in 2024, with checks going out on May 1 and May 31.

The only reason a second payment went out on May 31 was because of the Social Security Administration’s scheduling rules.

SSI payments always go out on the first day of the month, unless that day lands on a weekend or holiday. In those cases, payments are sent out the day before.

Because June 1 fell on a Saturday, the previous day — Friday, May 31 — served as the day the June payment went out.

If you receive SSI payments, and got one on Friday, your next regular payment will come on July 1. But in just a couple of months, you’ll go through this process again.

September 1 falls on a Sunday this year, so the month’s SSI payments will be dispersed on Friday, August 30. There will be no SSI payment in September.

November will be a double-payment month as well, with December 1 landing on a Sunday. 

SSI payments will be even more out of order in 2025. The first day of January, February, and March all fall on holidays or the weekend. According to the agency’s payment calendar, January’s benefits will be dispersed on December 31, February’s will come a month later, and March’s will come on February 28. There will be no payments in March.

Regardless of when the SSI payments are sent out, recipients will receive their full benefits throughout the year.

If you get regular Social Security benefits, not SSI, you will largely be unaffected in June. However, if you receive your benefits on the third Wednesday of the month, you’ll instead receive them on the previous day. The third Wednesday of June lands on Juneteenth, a federally-recognized holiday, which means payments will go out on the previous day — Tuesday, June 18.

Last week, the Senior Citizens League released new estimates showing Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, will likely be under 3% in 2025. That would be the lowest increase since the COVID pandemic and below the current annual inflation rate of 3.5%.

It is, however, worth noting that the impending COLA increase isn’t yet set. It will be officially announced in October and is based on the average inflation rate between July and September compared to the same period of the previous year.