All the April payments have been delivered. Therefore, it is time to plan your budget and to pay close attention to the Social Security payments that 65-year-olds and other retirees will receive in May. Although the maximum payment the Administration can issue in May is $5,108, millions of Americans qualify for a much lower check or direct deposit.
For example, the average retirement benefit payment for all retired workers is $1,980. This average amount is as of February 2025. As of December 2025, the average payment for 65-year-olds is $1,611. As you can see, this average amount is lower than the average for all retired workers. This is important to highlight because it may imply that many retirees filed for Social Security at 62. Early filing can reduce your monthly payment a great deal, so it may not be advisable.
Social Security payments for eligible 65-year-olds
If you are 65 years old, there are 4 possible payment dates in May. Social Security will start delivering checks and direct deposits on May 2, 2025. This will be 24 hours in advance because May 3 is a Saturday.
SSA can never deposit payments on the weekend. Hence, schedules need to be changed from time to time so that all the money arrives on a business day. To get your retirement benefit on May 2, you must:
- have begun receiving retirement benefits before May 1997
- be receiving simultaneously Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and retirement benefits
Bear in mind that SSI is only for Americans with a low income. It could be the case that when you turn 65, you apply for SSI benefits because it is the moment Social Security allows seniors to get this benefit. They could receive them before, but due to a medical condition (a qualifying disability) or blindness.
Social Security payments after May 2
Do not worry if you are a 65-year-old and you do not qualify for the first payment next month. It is more than likely that you are eligible for one of the Wednesday payments.
There are three rounds of direct deposits or checks from the second through the fourth Wednesday in May. This month, the first Wednesday falls on the 14th. So, you will receive the May 14 payment if you were born from the 1st to the 10th of any month.
Retirees aged 62 or older who were born from the 11th through the 20th may receive their monthly payment on May 21, 2025. Remember that to receive any of the Wednesday payments, you cannot be on SSI, and you must have started receiving benefits after April 30, 1997.
The last payday in May will be for retirees born from the 21st to the 31st. Those born on one of these days will get $1,980 on average on May 28. If you are 65, you will receive $1,611 on average.