Understanding Social Security’s Payment Schedules

One of the most frequent questions we receive in our Social Security Advisory Service is “When will I receive my payment?” As is the case in most questions we receive, the answer begins with “it depends.” If your benefit is a standard Retirement, Survivors and Disability Income (RSDI) benefit, then the answer depends on your birth date, and is based on the following rule: If you were born on the 1st through the 10th of the month, your payment is made on the second Wednesday; if you were born on the 11th through the 20th, then your payment is made on the third Wednesday; and if you were born on the 21st through the 31st, then your payment is made on the fourth Wednesday.

From SSA.gov: “If the Wednesday regularly scheduled for payment delivery falls on a Federal legal holiday, benefits will be paid on the first preceding day that is not a Federal legal holiday. If your payment is a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment, benefits are paid on the 1st of the month. If the 1st falls on the weekend then the payments will be issued the Friday before the 1st.”

Also from SSA.gov: “Beneficiaries entitled to benefits prior to May 1997 received recurring RSDI benefits on the 3rd of the month and continue to be paid on the 3rd of the month.”

Important Note: The payment schedule described above can be affected by individual banking arrangements you may have, as well as by your financial institution’s operating hours, operating schedules, and holiday schedules.

A complete full-year schedule of Social Security payments can be obtained here: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/calendar.htm.

 

 

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Comments On This Topic

  1. My birthday is on the 31st of October. According to every website I have read, my payment should come the fourth Wednesday of every month. That has never happened. It always either arrives on the second or third day of each month. Am I missing something?

    • Mark:

      You are correct that the general rule is for beneficiaries with birth dates from the 21st to the end of the month to receive payments on the fourth Wednesday; however, beneficiaries receiving payments prior to May 1997, or who are receiving SSI in addition to their Social Security benefits, receive their benefit on the 3rd of the month, unless the 3rd falls on a weekend or holiday, in which case their benefit is paid on the business day preceding the weekend or holiday.

      I hope that answers your question, but if you need anything further please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected], or call us at 1.888.750.2622.

      Gerry Hafer
      National Social Security Advisor
      The AMAC Foundation

      CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this message, including any attachments, are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the person or entity to whom the message was addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please be advised that any dissemination, distribution, forwarding, printing, copying, or use of the contents of this message, and any attached documentation, is strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender. Please also permanently delete all copies of the original message and any attached documentation. The opinions and interpretations expressed in this message are the viewpoints of the message’s author, a trained advisor accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). The author, the NSSA, and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state agency.

  2. I am so confused. I just got approved for Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance from my ex-husbands benefits. What I don’t understand is do I still get my SSI or just the benefits from RSDI? One place in the booklet says that you will get your SSI on the first of the month and the other the middle of the month, but on the Notice of Award letter on the RSDI it says that this is the only benefit I can get from them at this time. My SSI was higher than the RSDI.

    • Marge:

      When your Social Security benefit is lower than your SSI benefit, you receive two payments. Your Social Security payment and your SSI payment equal to the total of your previous SSI payment. RSDI is railroad, and we cannot answer questions pertaining to the railroad. If the letter you received from the railroad pertaining to your RSDI payment contains a phone number, I recommend you contact them and ask them how it will affect your SSI payment as it is higher. I can only presume that you will still be eligible for the remaining balance in SSI, I have no way of knowing how it works with railroad benefits. If you do not see a phone number on the letter you received, call (877)772-5772 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Central time, Monday thru Friday.

      Sharon Kleczka
      AMAC Foundation Inc.

  3. My husband’s SS payment came on May 3rd. He was in Hospice and passed away on May 15. They removed the payment from our bank account. I am just now learning that that was money that covered April. Do I stand any chance getting that money back?

    This is the first time I have ever posted on AMAC!

    • Patricia:

      Thank you for contacting the Amac Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service, and please accept our condolences on your husband’s passing. In response to your question, the check deposited in his account on May 3 was actually payment for his April benefit. As such, he was eligible for that payment. You will need to file a Form SSA-1724 | Claim For Amounts Due In The Case Of Deceased Beneficiary to reclaim this benefit. You can access this form via the SSA.gov website at https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1724.html.

      If we can be of any further assistance to you, please contact us via email ([email protected]) or telephone (888-750-2622).

      Gerry Hafer
      National Social Security Advisor
      The AMAC Foundation

      CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this message, including any attachments, are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the person or entity to whom the message was addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please be advised that any dissemination, distribution, forwarding, printing, copying, or use of the contents of this message, and any attached documentation, is strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender. Please also permanently delete all copies of the original message and any attached documentation. The opinions and interpretations expressed in this message are the viewpoints of the message’s author, a trained advisor accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). The author, the NSSA, and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state government.

  4. my credit union closes early on Christmas Eve the 24th and all day 25th for Christmas day. My birthday is December 23rd. Will my direct deposit show up throughout the night of 23rd or 24th?

    • Sharon:

      From SSA.gov: “If the Wednesday regularly scheduled for payment delivery falls on a Federal legal holiday, benefits will be paid on the first preceding day that is not a Federal legal holiday.” Based on that direction, your payment should post today (12/23), since President Trump has declared Christmas Eve as a federal holiday this year.

      Gerry Hafer
      AMAC Foundation, Inc.
      888-750-2622

    • If you get your check on the 4th Wednesday of the month, which happens to be Christmas this month, you will receive it on December 24th, the day before.

  5. My grand daughter gets her check every 4th we’d of the month but this month it falls in Christmas the 25th so why is she getting her check on the 26th and not the 24th

    • If your granddaughter receives her check on the 4th Wednesday of each month, she will receive it on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, December 24th.

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