It is well known that Social Security beneficiaries are used to being issued a single check a month, some beneficiaries may receive two payments in the month of August, double payments are affecting the beneficiaries of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to ensure that the benefits reach them on time.
The checks are sent on August 1st and 30th, but the second check is corresponding to the month of September, it will be sent a few days earlier, because September 1st, when it is normally sent, coincides with a weekend,
“We’re doing this to keep you from being financially disadvantaged and to make sure you don’t have to wait past the first of the month to get paid,” the Social Security Administration said in a 2022 blog post.
“This does not mean that you are receiving a duplicate payment in the previous month, so you do not need to contact us to inform us of the second payment.”
Additional SSI Benefits in August — Is It an Extra Check?
Sometimes, SSI beneficiaries receive more than one payment per month depending on the dates, but this only means that they will not receive another payment in the month of September.
The next SSI check will be posted on October 1st for the month of October, all regular Social Security recipients will not have their payments affected in the month of August.
The SSI payments are intended for adults and children who have a disability or blindness, as well as for people aged 65 and older. In the month of June, almost 7.4 million received the monthly benefits.
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) that Change Lives
Seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Social Security checks, as well as everyone who contributes to the system, are increasingly concerned about what analysts have sounded the alarm about the impending Social Security funding crisis.
Estimates currently indicate that the retirement and disability safety net program is likely to become insolvent by the mid-2030s, at which point seniors would be unable to receive the absolute payments. Lawmakers and economists have made various policy changes to put a solution to the problem, but many of the ideas, such as increasing the retirement age or minimizing benefit amounts, remain unpopular among Americans.
While Social Security benefits are currently adjusted for inflation, according to the cost of living adjustment, seniors have long complained that the annual increase in benefits is not enough to cover their increased costs in health care, food and housing.
While beneficiaries saw their paychecks increase by up to 8.7 percent in 2023, the 2024 adjustment was much lower at 3.2 percent, representing an increase of about $50 for most beneficiaries.
Double SSI Checks in August Is Not an Extra Payment
”You can sense the frustration of seniors when you walk into a grocery store,” said Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the state of Tennessee“ “Some of the items most affected by inflation have been everyday purchases where they didn’t expect to see big price increases during retirement.”
In a Senior Citizens’ League survey from earlier this year, seniors said they were still facing price increases on almost all of their household items – almost all of them.93 percent of senior respondents indicated their household expenses grew by more than $59 a month in 2023, and 43 percent indicated monthly expenses skyrocketed by more than $185.
The financial consequences can be dire for seniors struggling to make ends meet.
About 25 million Americans over the age of 60 live at 250 percent or less of the federal poverty line, according to data released by the National Council on Aging.
“The increases are there, but there’s a general feeling that they’re not substantial enough, and it’s easy to see why,” Beene said.