People are receiving larger Social Security checks in 2025 primarily due to the Social Security Fairness Act, which repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). This change boosts payments for over 3.2 million retirees—particularly teachers, police, and firefighters—and includes retroactive lump-sum payments.
The 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2026. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million SSI recipients will begin on December 31, 2025.
Large unexpected Social Security deposits may result from retroactive payments, corrections, or reconciliations of prior benefit reductions. Retirees should review recent SSA notices or contact the Social Security Administration directly to verify payment reasons. Keep records of all deposits and correspondence.
Has your income declined or have you experienced a loss of financial resources? You may be able to get additional income through the Supplemental Security Income program, which helps seniors and the disabled who have limited income and financial resources.
If you delay taking your benefits beyond your full retirement age, you may receive 8% more each year until 70. Lump-Sum Option If you are past full retirement age and have not yet filed for your benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a retroactive lump-sum payment for up to six months of benefits.
Qualifying for the third stimulus check
If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you will automatically qualify for the third stimulus check which will be in the amount $1400.
Yes, Social Security recipients received a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025, but the bigger news is that they are getting a larger 2.8% COLA for 2026, announced in October 2025, which began with January 2026 payments, increasing average benefits by about $56 per month. The 2025 COLA was a smaller 2.5% increase, while the 2026 adjustment reflects moderating inflation, leading to higher payments starting in the new year.
Stimulus payments
Single taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or below. Taxpayers filing as heads of household with AGIs of $112,500 or below. Married couples filing jointly with AGIs of $150,000 or below.
You likely received two Social Security checks because of a calendar quirk, especially if you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI), where the first of the month payment gets moved to the last business day of the previous month if the 1st is a weekend or holiday, resulting in two payments in one calendar month (like December/January, or July/August). It could also be you receive both regular Social Security (RSDI) and SSI, or you are getting a separate back payment, but the calendar issue is common for SSI recipients.
The extra $144 added to Social Security usually comes from the Medicare Part B Giveback benefit, offered by some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans, which pays back some or all your Part B premium, showing up as extra money in your check if it's deducted from your Social Security. To qualify, you need Original Medicare (Parts A & B), pay your own Part B premium, live in a plan's service area, and enroll in a specific Medicare Advantage plan that offers this "rebate," with the amount varying by plan and location.
Legislation enacted in 1973 provides for cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs. With COLAs, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits keep pace with inflation. The latest COLA is 2.8 percent for Social Security benefits and SSI payments.
The term “Social Security bonus” isn't an official benefit but a way to describe how retirees can increase the amount they receive each month. Social Security allows you to boost your monthly payment by delaying when you start claiming benefits.
Qualification for the $1,400 stimulus check (the third Economic Impact Payment) in 2021 depended on your 2021 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and filing status, with full amounts for single filers earning up to $75,000 (phasing out at $80,000) and joint filers up to $150,000 (phasing out at $160,000), plus $1,400 per dependent; you needed a valid Social Security Number and had to claim it as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if you missed the payment, with deadlines typically in April 2025.
An overpayment can happen when a beneficiary fails to update a change in income, for instance, and as a result Social Security overpays them. Or the SSA can incorrectly calculate a person's benefits.
Yes, Social Security is giving out an increase for 2026, a 2.8% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 71 million beneficiaries, meaning about $56 more per month on average for retirees, starting January 2026, plus some SSI recipients get an early payment in late December. There's no "extra money" bonus, but delays in starting benefits or past underpayments can result in higher payments or retroactive funds, and new senior deductions might also change things, according to recent news.
The dollar amount increase to checks will vary depending on a person's benefit amount, but the average Social Security Retirement benefit, $2,008.31 in July 2025, will grow by about $56.
Millions of Social Security recipients automatically received COVID-19 stimulus payments through the IRS using SSA and RRB data. Payments included up to $1,200 per individual in round one, $600 in round two, and $1,400 in round three, with extra amounts for dependents.
According to the IRS, Social Security recipients and railroad retirees who weren't required to file federal tax returns for 2018 or 2019 will receive $1,200 stimulus payments automatically based on information contained in their “1099” benefit statements.
Visit the IRS Get My Payment (GMP) portal at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment to see if you can expect a 2021 Economic Impact Payment. The GMP portal will provide the date when your payment was or will be sent.
If you wait until after full retirement age to claim Social Security, you may receive up to six months of retroactive benefits in a lump sum. However, this locks in your monthly benefit at the lower amount from six months prior.
You get two Social Security checks in December if you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), not regular Social Security, because the January payment gets moved to late December (usually Dec 31) since January 1st (New Year's Day) is a federal holiday, resulting in a December 1st payment and a December 31st payment for January's benefits, with the later one often including the COLA increase.