Social Security benefit enrollment drops by nearly 30,000 people

Enrollment for Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income declined by nearly 30,000 people from December 2024 to January 2025

While nearly 7.29 million people received the benefits in December, only 7.26 million still earned the monthly payments a month later.

Why It Matters

Millions rely on monthly SSI payments to meet their everyday living expenses.

The government-run safety net program available through the Social Security Administration benefits Americans with limited incomes, disabilities, or those aged 65 and older.

What To Know

From December 2024 to January 2025, the Social Security Administration saw a drop of around 30,000 people receiving SSI benefits. That brought the total from 7.29 million across all states to just 7.26 million a month later.

Typically, fewer people received SSI benefits due to death or no longer being eligible for the payments due to income. The monthly income limit for SSI is $2,019 for individuals, but that amount increases for couples and when parents apply for children.

However, since the SSA has been cutting staff, those staffing challenges could spark even more beneficiaries to lose their payments.

Last week, the Associated Press reported that the SSA is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its 60,000 workforce. However, the staff cuts could amount to as high as 50 percent.

What People Are Saying

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “While it’s difficult to say what triggers month-to-month drops in benefits enrollment, it’s important to note Supplemental Security Income has seen some significant difficulties with new and existing enrollees since the pandemic. Some of the automated and quicker processes introduced to enroll and re-enroll during the pandemic have since been phased out, and this has started to affect the numbers of those who participate.

“We’ve also seen substantial reductions in recent years in the administration’s customer service team, meaning it can be more difficult if you have issues with enrollment to solve those problems.”

Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: “It’s part of a decade-long trend of tightening the belt on disability benefits. Stricter eligibility, lower approval rates—we’re making it harder for vulnerable people to get a lifeline. It doesn’t appear to be an accident.”

What Happens Next

As the SSA intends to lower its employee count, fewer Social Security offices could mean more Americans get left behind.

“Each person dropped from SSI is a story of increased vulnerability. We’re talking about seniors, disabled individuals—folks who rely on these benefits to keep a roof over their head and food on the table,” Ryan said.

And if people are not able to secure SSI, they also might have trouble accessing health insurance through Medicaid.

“It’s like pulling a thread that unravels an entire safety net,” Ryan said.