Social Security Payment Schedule 2026

The rule in SSA's regulation, 20 CFR 404.1807(b)(2):

“Insured individuals born on the 1st through the 10th of the month will be paid on the second Wednesday of each month. Insured individuals born on the 11th through the 20th of the month will be paid on the third Wednesday of each month. Insured individuals born after the 20th of the month will be paid on the fourth Wednesday of each month. See paragraph (c) of this section for exceptions.”

In the usual case the birthday that matters is the insured worker's, not the birthday of the person receiving the payment. The regulation also says:

“We will assign the same payment day for all individuals who receive benefits on the earnings record of a particular insured individual.”

So a spouse, child or survivor is normally paid on the same day as the worker whose record the benefit is on, and SSDI follows the worker's birthday schedule. There are exceptions, in the same regulation:

“If you or any other person became entitled to benefits on the earnings record of the insured individual based on an application filed before May 1, 1997, you will continue to receive your benefits on the 3rd day of the month (but see paragraph (c)(6) of this section).”

“All persons who subsequently become entitled to benefits on that earnings record will be assigned to the 3rd day of the month as the monthly payment day.”

“If you or any other person become entitled to benefits on the earnings record of the insured individual based on an application filed after April 30, 1997, and also become entitled to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or have income which is deemed to an SSI beneficiary (per § 416.1160), all persons who are or become entitled to benefits on that earnings record will be assigned to the 3rd day of the month as the monthly payment day.”

Paragraphs (c)(3) and (c)(4) of the same section add two more cases for benefits based on an application filed after April 30, 1997: living in a foreign country, and not getting SSI but being eligible for the state to pay the Medicare premium. Someone who is paid on one record and becomes entitled on another is covered by paragraph (c)(5):

“After April 30, 1997, all individuals who become entitled on one record and later entitled on another record, without a break in entitlement, will be paid all benefits to which they are entitled no later than their current payment day.”

SSA's printed schedule sums up the 3rd-of-month cases it lists:

“If you received Social Security before May 1997 or if receiving both Social Security & SSI, Social Security is paid on the 3rd and SSI on the 1st.”