The Social Security Administration (SSA) has planned the April 2025 payment schedule across several days, depending on different criteria. These include when you started receiving benefits, your birth date, and special beneficiary statuses.
Knowing when your payment arrives can help you manage your monthly budget better and avoid confusion or delays. Let’s take a look at which groups will receive payments on what dates, and how much you could receive based on your retirement age.
Social Security Payments Start on April 3, 2025
The first round of April payments was made on April 3, 2025. These are for a smaller group of retirees and beneficiaries who meet specific conditions.
Who Gets Paid on April 3?
- People who began receiving benefits before May 1997
- Survivors of deceased Social Security beneficiaries
- Beneficiaries who live outside the U.S.
- People who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
(SSI is paid on April 1; Social Security on April 3) - Retirees whose Medicare premiums are paid by the state
If you’re in one of these categories, your payment should already be in your account by now.
Other Social Security Payment Dates in April 2025
For most people, Social Security checks are based on their birth date and the year they began receiving benefits. If you started receiving benefits after May 1997, your payment date is determined by the day of your birth.
Full Payment Schedule for April 2025:
| Payment Date | Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
| April 3 | Beneficiaries before May 1997 or with special status |
| April 9 | Birthdays from 1st to 10th, benefits after May 1997 |
| April 16 | Birthdays from 11th to 20th, benefits after May 1997 |
| April 23 | Birthdays from 21st to 31st, benefits after May 1997 |
How Much Can You Receive in 2025?
Your monthly Social Security payment depends on your age at retirement and your lifetime income. If you delay retirement until a later age, your monthly check could be significantly higher.
Maximum Social Security Benefit Amounts in 2025:
- At age 62: $2,831
- At age 65: $3,374
- At age 66: $3,795
- At age 67: $4,043
- At age 70: $5,108
Delaying your retirement from age 62 to age 70 could increase your monthly check by over $2,000, which means more financial stability for the rest of your life.
The average Social Security benefit in January 2025 is $1,976 per month, so these maximums are usually only reached by high earners who worked consistently for many years.