Average Social Security Payment in May: Social Security payments provide essential financial support for many people in the United States. The amount each person receives can differ a lot depending on various factors. In May 2025, the average monthly Social Security check for all recipients is $1,839.83, according to the latest data from the Social Security Administration (SSA). But, if you’re a retired worker, you may be receiving more than this average.
For retirees, the average benefit is higher, at $1,980.86, which is about 8% more than the overall average for all Social Security beneficiaries. The reason for this difference is that Social Security covers different types of beneficiaries, such as those receiving retirement benefits, disability benefits, and survivor benefits. Each group gets a different amount, which affects the overall average.
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Types of Social Security Beneficiaries
Financial services industry leader Frank Bisignano was sworn in today as the 18th Commissioner of Social Security. Learn more on our blog: https://t.co/uwGoJQZF4L #SocialSecurity pic.twitter.com/iK0KZ8ZQwI
— Social Security (@SocialSecurity) May 7, 2025
While many people think of Social Security as a program for retirees, it also helps other groups, including people with disabilities, surviving spouses, and minor children of retired or deceased workers. In fact, most of the Social Security benefits go to retirees. Around 79.6% of the total payments are for retirement benefits. The remaining 12% goes to people receiving disability benefits, and 8.4% is for survivors.
Here is a breakdown of the average monthly benefit by type of beneficiary:
- All beneficiaries: $1,839.83
- Retirement benefits: $1,931.20
- Retired workers: $1,980.86
- Survivor benefits: $1,547.26
- Non-disabled widows/widowers: $1,837.16
- Disability benefits: $1,439.42
- Disabled workers: $1,580.76
How COLA Work
The Social Security Administration makes sure the value of Social Security payments keeps up with inflation by adjusting the amount people receive each year. This adjustment is called a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). In 2025, the COLA increase is 2.5%. This follows a 3.2% increase in 2024 and an 8.7% increase in 2023. So, if someone was getting $1,000 per month in 2015, by 2025 they would be getting $1,318.03 because of these COLA increases.
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Maximum Monthly Social Security Benefit
The maximum Social Security payment someone can receive depends on several factors. These include how much they earned during their working years, when they start collecting benefits, and how much COLA has increased the payments over time. In 2025, the maximum monthly benefit is for people who have earned the maximum taxable amount throughout their careers. For this year, that amount is $176,100.
For 2025, the maximum initial monthly benefit is:
- At age 62: $2,831
- At full retirement age: $4,018
- At 70 years old: $5,108
While Social Security can be a helpful source of income, it’s not designed to cover all of your living expenses. For most people, Social Security won’t replace 100% of the income they were making before retirement. That’s why it’s a good idea to also save money for retirement through other means, such as personal savings or private retirement accounts.
