If you read or heard about a Social Security Disability extra payment this month, it’s not what you think. Social media periodically explodes with news of extra money for disability recipients or those who receive Social Security retirement benefits.
The reports use actual facts taken out of context or exaggerated to support unfounded social media posts. Here is an explanation of the truth behind stories of extra that never shows up in the bank accounts of the folks reading them.
You’re Getting An Extra Check This Month From Social Security.
Stories about extra checks from Social Security this month are not entirely false, but you’re not getting extra money. If you receive Supplemental Security Income benefits through the Social Security Administration, your monthly benefit payments arrive on the first day of each month.
The exception is when the first day of a month falls on a federal holiday or a weekend. When that occurs, the monthly SSI payment arrives on the regular business day immediately preceding the holiday or weekend. It sounds simple enough, unless a social media post appears telling people about an extra SSI payment in August, 2025.
Labor Day, a federal holiday, falls on September 1 in 2025. Therefore, SSI payments that would have been made on the first of the month are made on the preceding business day, Friday, August 29. To someone relying only on the report of extra money in August and not on their calendar, they received two SSI payments in August. They received two payments in August, but they will not receive a September payment.
“You Have Extra Money Waiting For You From Social Security. Contact Us Now.”
Emails, social media posts, or other solicitations asking you to contact them immediately to claim your extra money for disability recipients. These hoaxes coincide with the Social Security Administration’s announcement of an annual cost-of-living increase for recipients of Social Security Disability, SSI, and retirement benefits.
Cost-of-living adjustments apply to all disability benefits. For example, a 2.5% increase in benefits paid by Social Security went into effect on the first of the year. It was not extra money or a bonus, nor did it require that recipients contact anyone to have it applied to their monthly benefit payments.
A situation that occurred in 2024 also highlights how legitimate payments by the Social Security Administration give scammers something to use to mislead people. More than 3.2 million spent part of their careers working at jobs that were not subject to payment of Social Security taxes on the earnings. The years worked at those jobs did not count in their earnings record, so their Social Security benefits did not reflect their entire work history. The professions included the following:
- Federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System.
- People working for foreign entities.
- Teachers and police officers in some states.
A change to federal law granted the workers retroactive benefits in the form of a one-time payment for the years worked at jobs that did not count toward their Social Security earnings record.
The one-time payment should have been deposited into their bank accounts on record with the Social Security Administration, where they received their Social Security benefits. If you believe you are entitled to a payment under the Social Security Fairness Act, do not fall for scammers asking you to contact them for help to get the money. Instead, contact the Social Security Administration for assistance.
Getting Assistance With Your Social Security Payments
If you do not have an online account to verify your benefits and receive official notices about them, go to the Social Security Administration website to set up a “my Social Security” account. It’s free and takes only a few minutes to complete the process.
When you need assistance with SSDI and SSI claims and appeals, look no further than a disability lawyer. Contact a disability lawyer for a free consultation.
