What Day Of The Month You Should Expect To Receive Your Social Security Check

For most Americans who receive Social Security retirement benefits each month, payment is made on a Wednesday; specifically, on either the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of every month. The particular Wednesday you get paid on, however, depends on your birthday. Note the month doesn't matter, just the day.

This recurring payment applies to retired people who started receiving their Social Security after May 1997. Note that this doesn't apply to Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) recipients (we will go over their payment days later in the article). The Wednesday payouts for Social Security is as follows:

• The second Wednesday if your birthday falls on the 1st through the 10th
• The third Wednesday if your birthday falls on the 11th through the 20th
• The fourth Wednesday if your birthday falls on the 21st through the 30th/31st

For budget reasons, it's important for retirees to know when they can expect to receive their checks each month. Also, if your check, for some reason, doesn't arrive by its regular Wednesday, you know it's time to contact Social Security. (Here's what the average Social Security benefit is for a retired worker by age.)

The pay date is different from the payment schedule described above for people who receive both Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments on their own, or in combination with Social Security retirement payments. It is also, as noted, different for those who started receiving Social Security retirement benefits prior to May of 1997. If you receive both SSI and Social Security retirement, your pay schedule is as follows:

• SSI payments are made on the first of the month, unless the first falls on a weekend. If so, then SSI for the following month is paid on the last Friday of the preceding month. (This is why there are times when SSI recipients will receive two SSI payments in one month.)
• If you receive Social Security retirement benefits in addition to SSI, you'll receive your Social Security Retirement payment on the third of the month. If the third falls on a weekend, it'll be paid on the Friday before.

If you've been receiving Social Security retirement since before May of 1997, your pay date is the third of the month. When this date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, your payment will be issued on the last business day (Friday) before that date.

This may seem like a lot to keep track of; however, once you know the Social Security pay date system that applies to you, the timeframe in which you will receive your money will stay the same every month. With that in mind, you can mark your calendar and adjust your monthly budget and expense plans accordingly. (See what monthly expenses you're forgetting to put in your budget.)

The Social Security Administration doesn't change its pay cycle often. In fact, the last time it did change it was in 1997, and it only impacted people who started receiving payments after the date the change went into effect (i.e., May). Note, you can always find the official Social Security Benefits calendars for the current, previous, and next year on the SSA website in PDF form. (Read about Social Security rules that can increase your monthly benefits.)