Here's who gets May 13 Social Security checks in Florida

The first wave of Social Security benefits for May will roll out this week, with payments arriving on May 13.

Social Security benefits, paid mostly to recipients who are older or retired, are typically scheduled to go out on Wednesdays based on the recipients’ birthdays. More than five million Floridians, or more than one in every five residents, received Social Security benefits in December 2025, according to the latest congressional report from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Social Security faces a shortfall as soon as 2032. If Congress does nothing, research suggests, retirees will see a 28% cut in monthly benefits. That has caused several groups to propose their own ways to fix the program. 

Among them was a Washington think tank that caused a stir recently with a paper that proposed capping annual Social Security benefits at $100,000 to shore up the retirement trust fund. 

Here’s what you need to know about this month’s Social Security payments.

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Who gets their Social Security payment this week?

Beneficiaries who were born between the 1st and 10th day of their birth month are set to receive their monthly Social Security benefit on Wednesday, May 13, according to the SSA’s payment calendar.

What is the Social Security payment schedule for May 2026?

Social Security benefits are typically paid on Wednesdays, and most people receive their check on one of three Wednesdays each month based on their birth date. For May, that means:

• Wednesday, May 13: If your birth date is between the first and 10th of the month

• Wednesday, May 20:: If your birth date is between the 11th and 20th of the month

• Wednesday, May 27:  If your birth date is between the 21st and 31st of the month

People who started getting Social Security before May 1997 follow a different schedule and are paid on the 3rd of each month instead of a Wednesday‑based date. 

What is the Social Security payment schedule for the rest of 2026?

How many people in Florida receive Social Security benefits?

As of December 2025, 5,294,001 people in Florida claimed Social Security benefits, including:

• Retired workers: 4,191,491

• Disabled workers: 462,756

• Widow(ers) and parents: 260,003

• Spouses: 145,263

• Children: 234,488

More than 4.4 million of the beneficiaries were aged 65 or older, the report said.

What can I do if my Social Security payment didn’t show up?

If you didn’t get your electronic payment on the scheduled pay date, check your bank, the SSA said. They may be experiencing a delay in posting it to your account.

If you still need to report a late, missing, or stolen Social Security payment, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local Social Security office.

The SSA will review the case and, if the payment is due, replace it.

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Social Security payments for May 2026, here’s the schedule