Recent rumours have suggested that Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries will receive a $5,700 increase in 2025. While benefit payments are rising this year, is this claim true? Let’s break down the facts.
How Much Are Social Security Payments Increasing in 2025?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has confirmed a 2.5% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025. This increase is designed to help retirees and disability beneficiaries keep up with inflation. However, the actual increase in benefits is far from $5,700 for most recipients.
Here’s what the COLA increase means in real numbers:
- The average monthly retirement benefit will rise from $1,927 to $1,976, an increase of $49 per month.
- Over a year, this totals an additional $588, not anywhere close to $5,700.
- SSDI and SSI recipients will also see similar modest increases based on their current benefit amounts.
The maximum Social Security retirement benefit for those who retire at full retirement age (67) has increased to $3,822 per month in 2025, but this is due to regular benefit adjustments, not a massive one-time boost.
Why Are Some People Expecting a $5,700 Increase?
Some retirees could see larger-than-average increases due to changes in federal policy, specifically the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) under the Social Security Fairness Act.
- What Changed? WEP and GPO previously reduced benefits for retirees who also received pensions from jobs that didn’t pay into Social Security.
- With these provisions repealed, affected retirees may see hundreds of dollars per month restored to their benefits.
- For certain individuals who were heavily impacted by WEP, this could theoretically add up to a $5,700 annual increase—but only for a specific group of retirees.
This means that while some public sector retirees will see big jumps in their Social Security checks, the average retiree or disability beneficiary will not.
What’s the Realistic Benefit Increase for 2025?
For most Social Security recipients, the actual increase will be much smaller than $5,700. Here’s what to expect:
2.5% COLA boost for all beneficiaries
Small monthly increases for SSI and SSDI recipients
Possible larger increases for retirees affected by WEP and GPO repeals
No across-the-board $5,700 increase for all Social Security recipients
If you want to check how much your exact benefit amount will be in 2025, log into your My Social Security account at SSA.gov.
Final Verdict: Is the $5,700 Increase Real?
TRUE – Some public sector retirees may see an annual increase of up to $5,700, thanks to the repeal of WEP and GPO.
FALSE – The average Social Security, SSDI, and SSI beneficiary will not receive a $5,700 increase. Instead, they will see a small COLA boost of about $49 per month.
For official updates, visit SSA.gov or consult a financial expert to understand how these changes apply to your specific situation.
