Will Social Security survivor benefits be skipped in December 2025? Freaking out about missed payments!

This is a misunderstanding that happens every few years. Your aunt will NOT miss a payment, but the payment schedule can sometimes create confusion. When the payment date falls on a weekend or holiday, SSA pays EARLY, not late. In some years, this causes a situation where a payment that would normally arrive in January arrives in December instead. So some people get 13 payments in one calendar year and 11 in another, but nobody misses a payment. Have her check her payment schedule on MySocialSecurity account to confirm her exact dates.

i heard this 2 but its cuz the way the calender falls some years. ur aunt will get her money dw!! my mom gets ss and it happens sometimes

THIS HAPPENED TO ME LAST YEAR and I almost had a heart attack too!!! The SSA does a TERRIBLE job of explaining this to seniors. Basically, if your payment date falls on a weekend or holiday, they pay EARLIER not later. So sometimes in December the January payment comes early. You still get 12 payments, they're just distributed weird on the calendar. Tell your aunt not to worry!!!

I'm a financial planner who works with many Social Security recipients, so let me clarify this issue completely: Social Security benefits are paid monthly. However, the payment schedule depends on when your birthday falls: - If born on 1st-10th: Second Wednesday - If born on 11th-20th: Third Wednesday - If born on 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday When payment dates fall on weekends or federal holidays, payments are issued on the preceding Friday or last business day. In some years, this scheduling quirk results in 11 payments in one calendar year and 13 in another. But importantly, your aunt will never miss a monthly payment. Tell her not to worry - this is just a calendar issue, not a missed payment. She can verify her payment schedule by creating a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount.

I think I saw the same thing that worried your aunt! There was something on Facebook about how some recipients would "miss" their December payment. It's totally misleading though - nobody actually loses any money. It's just that sometimes the January payment comes in December because of holidays/weekends, so on paper it looks like you get no "December payment" when really you already got it early. Social Security is confusing enough without these rumors making people panic!

When I was helping my dad with his survivor benefits after my mom passed, we ran into the exact same confusion. The payment schedule can be really confusing, and trying to call the Social Security office to get answers was a nightmare - waited on hold for 3+ hours multiple times before getting disconnected. I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got us through to an actual human at Social Security in under 20 minutes. They explained this whole payment schedule thing clearly and confirmed my dad wouldn't miss any payments. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Peace of mind was totally worth it, especially since we were worried about household bills just like your aunt.

my granpa gets surviver benefits 2 after grandma died and he got confused by this exact thing last year lol. tell ur aunt not 2 worry, its just how the calendar works sometimes

Just to add to my earlier comment - this is actually a known issue that happens in years when there are particular calendar configurations. The SSA publishes a payment calendar each year that shows exactly when payments will be issued. Your aunt can download the 2025 payment calendar directly from the SSA website at ssa.gov/pubs/calendar.htm (or have a look at her mySocialSecurity account online). The most important thing is that she won't lose any money - she'll still get 12 full payments over the course of the year. It's just that the calendar dates sometimes shift due to weekends and holidays.

This happens every few years and causes so much confusion! My mom gets retirement benefits not survivor benefits but same payment system. Her neighbor told her same thing last year and she was up all night worrying. Like others said nobody misses a payment, it's just about when the dates fall. Does your aunt get direct deposit? That makes it easier to track.