The Social Security Administration (SSA) helps more than 70 million people across the United States, including Washington D.C. and those living abroad, with various benefits, such as retirement, disability, and qualifying low-income assistance.
Types of Social Security Benefits
The Social Security Administration provides several types of benefits, including:
- Retirement Benefits: These are given to individuals who have worked and paid into Social Security during their career. The amount depends on how much they have earned over their lifetime.
- Disability Benefits: These are for people who cannot work because of a medical condition, and they are based on the individual’s past earnings.
- Low-Income Benefits: The SSA also offers assistance to individuals who have limited income and resources, through programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Combining Social Security Benefits
One interesting feature of the Social Security system is the ability to combine different types of benefits. For example, individuals may qualify for both retirement benefits and spousal benefits. These combinations depend on specific regulations and individual circumstances.
Spousal Benefits
A spouse may receive up to 50% of their partner’s primary benefit upon reaching full retirement age (FRA). However, if they claim the benefit before FRA, it will be reduced. To qualify for spousal benefits, the spouse must have already started receiving their own benefits. If their own benefit is higher, they will receive the higher amount.
Benefits for Divorced Individuals
Divorced individuals may also be eligible for benefits based on their former spouse’s work record, provided the marriage lasted at least 10 years and they haven’t remarried. This benefit is the same as the spousal benefit, and claiming it before FRA results in a reduction in the monthly payment.
Family Benefits and Survivor Benefits
In addition to spousal benefits, some dependent family members can also qualify for Social Security benefits. These include:
- Children under 18, or up to 19 if they are still in high school.
- Adult children with disabilities that began before age 22.
The SSA has a limit on the total family benefits that can be paid from a single worker’s record. This limit usually ranges from 150% to 180% of the worker’s primary benefit. If the total family benefits exceed this limit, individual payments will be adjusted proportionally.
Survivor Benefits
Survivor benefits are available to widows, widowers, dependent children, and, in certain cases, parents of the deceased. Survivor benefits can be claimed along with your own retirement benefits under the “dual entitlement” rule. In such cases, the beneficiary will receive the higher of their personal retirement benefit or the survivor benefit, but not both.
Social Security Payment Schedule for June 2025
The SSA has a set schedule for issuing monthly payments. In June 2025, the payment dates for pension beneficiaries are as follows:
- June 11: Beneficiaries born between the 1st and 10th of the month.
- June 18: Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th of the month.
- June 25: Beneficiaries born between the 21st and 31st of the month.
For a small group of beneficiaries (those who claimed payments before May 1997 or those receiving both retirement benefits and SSI), the next payment date will be July 3rd.
Maximum Social Security Benefits in 2025
The amount you can receive from Social Security depends on when you start claiming benefits. For 2025:
- The maximum benefit for someone starting at age 62 is $2,831 per month.
- The maximum benefit for someone starting at their full retirement age (67 for those born in 1960 or later) is $4,018.
- The maximum benefit for someone delaying their claim until age 70 is $5,108.