The 2026 Social Security Payment Schedule Is Here! Find Out When You Get Paid!

It’s official—the Social Security Administration (SSA) has released the payment schedule for the upcoming year, so you won’t need to wait any longer if you’ve been wondering when you will receive your money.

 The schedule will also determine when those with a limited income or resources receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Understanding the payment schedule and knowing when you will receive benefits is crucial if you need to pay monthly expenses, pay bills or map out your upcoming year or payments. Keep reading to find out when you’ll get your benefits in 2026.

How Social Security payment dates are chosen

If you receive Social Security benefits, you can likely expect to receive your money on a Wednesday (but there are exceptions). To make for a smooth distribution to everyone, the SSA keeps it simple as to when you will get paid. 

• If you were born between the 1st and the 10th of any month, you will receive your payment on the second Wednesday of every month.

• If you were born between the 11th and the 20th, you will receive your payment on the third Wednesday.

• If you were born between the 21st and the 31st, you will receive your payment on the fourth Wednesday.

So all you really need to know is your birthday—and then you can figure out when you will be paid!

As for SSI payments, those will usually be on the 1st of the month unless that day falls on a weekend or a holiday, in which case it will be the weekday right before.

The exceptions

As stated above, there are exceptions to the payment plan listed and it may not have to do with your birthday. The exceptions are as follows:

• If you began receiving Social Security before May 1997, you will receive your payment on the third day of every month, regardless of your birthday.

• If you receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income you will usually get your Social Security payment on the 3rd of the month and your SSI payment on the 1st of the month.

• If you are a spouse or survivor who receives benefits based on someone else’s earnings or have another unique situation, your payment schedule may vary depending on that

What dates you can expect a payment

Now that you have an understanding of the schedule and when you are likely to receive a payment, let’s get into the actual payment dates.

• January: SSI will be on December 31, 2025, due to January 1 being a holiday. Regular payments will be on January 2, 14, 21, and 28. The February SSI payment will on January 30 because February 1 is a weekend.

• February: SSI is on January 30, followed by payments on either February 3, 11, 18, and 25. March SSI will be paid on February 27, due to March 1 being a weekend.

• March: SSI will be on February 27, followed by payments on March 3, 11, 18, and 25. 

• April: SSI will be paid on April 1, followed by payments on April 3, 8, 15, and 22.

• May: SSI will be on May 1, and the following payments will be on May 13, 20 and 27.

• June: SSI will be on June 1, followed by June 3, 10, 17, 24.

• July: SSI is on July 1, followed by July 2, 8, 15, 22 and 31 (this extra payment is the SSI for August but since August 1 is a weekend, the payment will be the day before).

• August: SSI is on July 31 but following payments for the month will be on August 12, 19 and 26

• September: SSI is on September 1, followed by payments on September 3, 9, 16 and 23

• October: SSI is on October 1, followed by payments on October 2, 14, 21, 28. The SSI payment for November will be on October 3o due to November 1 falling on a weekend.

• November: SSI is on October 30, followed by payments on November 3, 10, 18 and 25.

• December: SSI is on December 1, followed by payments on December 3, 9, 16 and 23. The SSI payment for January 2027 will fall on December 31, 2026 because January 1 is a holiday.

You can see the official schedule from the SSA here if you’d like to plan ahead for your year. If you are planning to receive a Social Security payment in 2026, make sure you know when you can expect it!

Keep reading for more!

Can I Work and Collect Social Security? Expert Advice on Receiving Benefits before Retirement

Social Security Spousal Benefits Could Boost Your Monthly Check—Here’s How to Claim Yours

What New Social Security Changes Could Mean for Your Retirement Plans