Social Security Payment Schedule for 2026 & 2027

In most cases the payment is not late — the scheduled date simply moved. When your regular payment date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a federal holiday, Social Security pays you on the first preceding business day, so the money usually arrives EARLIER, not later. Also remember the Wednesday schedule shifts week to week: if you were paid on the 9th last month, this month's payment might fall on the 13th. If your payment still has not arrived three business days after the scheduled date, contact your bank first, then call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is paid on the 1st of each month. When the 1st falls on a weekend or federal holiday, SSI is paid on the last business day before it — which means the payment can arrive in the final days of the previous month. That is why some months appear to have two SSI payments and others appear to have none: it is still one payment per benefit month, just issued early.

Since May 1997, SSA has staggered retirement, survivors, and disability payments by the beneficiary's day of birth to spread the workload across the month. If you were born on the 1st–10th you are paid on the second Wednesday; born on the 11th–20th, the third Wednesday; born on the 21st–31st, the fourth Wednesday. The birthday that matters is that of the worker whose record the benefit is paid on — so spousal and survivor benefits follow the worker's birth date in some cases.

Two groups receive their Social Security benefit on the 3rd of the month instead of a Wednesday: people who started receiving benefits before May 1997, and people who receive both Social Security and SSI. If the 3rd falls on a weekend or holiday, the payment moves to the preceding business day.

Payments are never delayed past the scheduled date for a weekend or holiday — they are moved up. SSA issues the payment on the first preceding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or federal legal holiday. For example, in July 2026 the 3rd falls on the observed Independence Day holiday (Friday, July 3), so the payment for the 3rd-of-month group arrives Thursday, July 2, 2026.

The official cost-of-living adjustment for 2026 is 2.8%, applied starting with January 2026 payments. The 2027 COLA has not been announced yet — SSA will announce it in mid-October 2026, after third-quarter inflation data (CPI-W) is final. Any 2027 figure you see before then, including the default in our calculator, is only an estimate.

No. If you receive both benefits, your SSI payment arrives on the 1st of the month and your Social Security payment arrives on the 3rd (each moved earlier when it lands on a weekend or holiday). You should normally see two separate deposits a couple of days apart.

Yes. The annual COLA applies to all Social Security benefit types — retirement, spousal, survivor, and disability (SSDI) — as well as SSI federal payment amounts. A spousal benefit is generally up to 50% of the worker's primary insurance amount, and the COLA raises the underlying amounts each January.

The rules stay the same in 2027: second, third, or fourth Wednesday based on your birth date; the 3rd of the month for pre-May-1997 beneficiaries and those with both SS and SSI; and the 1st for SSI. Only the calendar dates shift year to year. The full 2027 schedule is on this page, and SSA publishes its official calendar at ssa.gov/pubs/calendar.htm.

First check with your bank or card provider — deposits sometimes post late in the day. SSA asks that you wait three additional mailing days after the due date before reporting a missing payment. After that, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local Social Security office. Never share your SSN or bank details with anyone who calls you claiming to 'release' a payment — SSA does not do that.