2025 will end soon, and Social Security recipients are wondering about their 2026 Social Security payment dates. If you are a Social Security recipient, you can check the full 2026 payment schedule based on the SSA payment rules here.
The Social Security Administration processes benefits payments based on different factors, such as birth date. The administration updates the payment calendar every year to make it easy for recipients to mark their payment dates.
The administration has more than 71 million beneficiaries receiving benefits like retirement benefits, disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and others. From 2026, the recipients will also experience a rise in payout due to the 2026 COLA 2.8% increase.
What are the Social Security Benefit Payment Rules?
Before you learn about the SSA payment schedule for 2026, you should learn about the payment rules that determine the payment date. The Social Security Administration processes the Social Security benefits payments based on the following payment rules:
- Social Security Benefits: The Social Security benefits, such as retirement, survivors, or disability payments based on the following payment rule:
- If your birth date falls on 01 – 10, you would receive the payment on the second Wednesday.
- If your birth date falls on 11th – 20, you can receive the payment on the third Wednesday.
- If your birth date falls on 21st – 31st, you can receive the payment on the fourth Wednesday.
- If you receive the SSI benefit and Social Security benefit both, or you received Social Security before May 1997, your payment will be processed on the third day of the month.
- SSI:
- The SSI payment will be processed on the first day of the respective payment month.
What will be the Social Security Payment Schedule for 2026?
The SSA processes Social Security payments based on the above-mentioned payment rules; however, if the payout date falls on a public holiday or a weekend, the administration will process the payment on the previous business day.
The Social Security recipients can check the 2026 payment schedule as per the release calendar below:
| Payment Month | Social Security Payments | SSI Payment Dates | ||
| Birth Date 01 to 10 | Birth Date 11 – 20 | Birth Date 21 – 31 | ||
| January | 14 Jan | 21 Jan | 28 Jan | 31 Dec 2025 |
| February | 11 Feb | 18 Feb | 25 Feb | 30 Jan |
| March | 11 Mar | 18 Mar | 25 Mar | 27 Feb |
| April | 08 Apr | 15 Apr | 22 Apr | 01 Apr |
| May | 13 May | 20 May | 27 May | 01 May |
| June | 10 Jun | 17 Jun | 24 Jun | 01 Jun |
| July | 08 Jul | 15 Jul | 22 Jul | 01 Jul |
| August | 12 Aug | 19 Aug | 26 Aug | 31 Jul |
| September | 09 Sep | 16 Sep | 23 Sep | 01 Sep |
| October | 14 Oct | 21 Oct | 28 Oct | 01 Oct |
| November | 10 Nov | 18 Nov | 25 Nov | 30 Oct |
| December | 09 Dec | 16 Dec | 23 Dec | 01 Dec |
How much will you receive under the Social Security benefits in 2026?
The Social Security recipients will receive their benefits payout above the current rate, thanks to the 2026 COLA 2.8% increase. Social Security recipients can experience the payout boost of $56 in most cases of the payments with the 2026 COLA boost.
According to the 2026 COLA, the recipients can check out the new payments that will be effective from January 2026:
| Retired workers claimed the benefit at full retirement age | $4,152 per month |
| SSI | $994 for an individual $1,491 for a couple |
| Avg. payout for retired workers | $2,071 |
| Avg. payout for a widowed mother with two children | $3,898 |
| Avg. payout for an aged couple, both receiving the payout | $3,208 |
| Avg. payout for an aged widower living alone | $1,919 |
| Disabled workers | $1,630 |
| Disabled workers, one or more children, and a spouse | $2,937 |
What should you do if your Social Security payment is not processed?
If you find your Social Security payments have not been processed on the scheduled date, you should take some actions to learn about the missing payment, such as:
- You should wait for at least three business days before reaching out to the SSA about the missing payment.
- You should check your bank account to ensure it is valid or not, so there is no issue with your bank receiving the payment.
- If you find your payment is missing, you can contact the SSA through your mySocialSecurity account or through their toll-free number at 1800-772-1213 or 1800-325-0778 (TTY).
The SSA processes the Social Security payments on the scheduled date. The administration has already published the full calendar for 2026, so you can mark the benefit payment dates for each month and plan your finances accordingly.
Disclaimer: Social Security payment schedule 2026 details are for general awareness only. Actual dates and amounts are determined by the SSA.