Social Security Payment Schedule Table 2026
| Month | SSI (1st) | Pre-1997 / dual (3rd) | Born 1st-10th (2nd Wed) | Born 11th-20th (3rd Wed) | Born 21st-31st (4th Wed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Dec 31, 2025 | Jan 2 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 28 |
| February | Jan 30 | Feb 3 | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 |
| March | Feb 27 | Mar 3 | Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Mar 25 |
| April | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 | Apr 15 | Apr 22 |
| May | May 1 | May 1 | May 13 | May 20 | May 27 |
| June | Jun 1 | Jun 3 | Jun 10 | Jun 17 | Jun 24 |
| July | Jul 1 | Jul 2 | Jul 8 | Jul 15 | Jul 22 |
| August | Jul 31 | Aug 3 | Aug 12 | Aug 19 | Aug 26 |
| September | Sep 1 | Sep 3 | Sep 9 | Sep 16 | Sep 23 |
| October | Oct 1 | Oct 2 | Oct 14 | Oct 21 | Oct 28 |
| November | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 10 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| December | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 |
Social Security does not pay on your birthday - it pays on a Wednesday picked by your birthday. Birth days 1-10 are paid on the second Wednesday of the month, 11-20 on the third Wednesday, and 21-31 on the fourth Wednesday. SSI pays on the 1st, and anyone who started benefits before May 1997 - or receives both Social Security and SSI - is paid on the 3rd.
When a scheduled date lands on a weekend or a federal holiday, the money comes the prior business day - it pays early, never late, and ten cells in the 2026 table below are shifted by this one rule. Three shifts stand out: SSI for January arrives December 31, 2025 (New Year's Day is a closure), the August 1 SSI payment lands Friday July 31, and the November second-Wednesday check pulls back from Veterans Day to November 10.
Every date below is the 2026 official SSA schedule (linked under the tool). January 2026 checks also carry the 2.8 percent COLA announced in October 2025 - this site's COLA history table has the full series.
How to use
- Find your birthday band in the column headers and read down the month - that cell is your deposit date.
- On Social Security plus SSI? You are paid twice: read the 3rd-of-month column for Social Security and the 1st column for SSI - two deposits, two columns.
- Dates that look earlier than usual are the weekend and holiday shifts - under SSA's rule the money arrives early, never late.
Frequently asked questions
Why Wednesday?
SSA staggered payments across three Wednesdays in 1997 so a month's checks spread out instead of stacking on the 3rd - easier on banks and on beneficiaries. If you began receiving benefits before May 1997, the old 3rd-of-month rule still applies to you.
What happens when my payment date hits a holiday?
The check comes the business day before - early, never late. Ten cells shift in 2026; three stand out: SSI moves from January 1 to December 31, 2025, the August 1 SSI payment lands Friday July 31, and the second-Wednesday check for November moves off Veterans Day (November 11) to November 10.
Which column if I get both Social Security and SSI?
Dual recipients get Social Security on the 3rd and SSI on the 1st, each shifted to the prior business day when it hits a weekend or holiday. The birth-date Wednesday columns only apply to Social Security without SSI.
Does the COLA change my payment date?
No - the schedule is purely mechanical: birth date picks the Wednesday, the calendar picks the date. The 2.8 percent COLA for 2026 changes the amount deposited, not the day; amounts are announced each October and first paid in January.