At this point of the month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) have already sent several payments for groups of recipients that comprise retirees, survivor relatives, disabled workers and more.
In a matter of a few days, the SSA will send out the third and final round of May payments on Wednesday, May 27. This one goes to beneficiaries born between the 21st and 31st of any month. That wraps up May’s payment schedule, which also had dates on the 13th and 20th for the other two birth-date groups.
May schedule: how the payment system breaks down The SSA distributes benefits based on your birth date, or the date of your late relative that inherited you their benefits:
- Born between the 1st and 10th? You get paid on the second Wednesday of the month.
- Born between the 11th and 20th? The third Wednesday.
- Born between the 21st and 31st? The fourth Wednesday.
Who doesn’t follow this regular schedule?
For May 2026, that means three dates: May 13 (birthdays 1–10), May 20 (birthdays 11–20), and May 27 (birthdays 21–31).
Not everyone gets paid on Wednesdays. People who started drawing Social Security before May 1997, or who receive both Social Security and SSI, get their payment on the 3rd of each month. If the 3rd falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the payment moves up to the previous business day. In May, that group got their payment on Friday, May 1, because the 3rd landed on a Sunday.
What the average payment looks like
According to SSA data from April 2026, the average monthly check for retired workers was $2,081.16. That number already includes the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). This year’s COLA was 2.8%, adding $56 per month to the average benefit compared to 2025 – bringing that average to roughly $2,071 monthly.
Individual amounts vary depending on your lifetime earnings and the age you started claiming benefits.
What if your payment doesn’t show up on time?
The SSA recommends waiting three extra business days before reaching out to the agency if your deposit or check hasn’t arrived. Delays often come from bank processing times, especially for direct deposits made close to a weekend.
Now, the SSI program runs on its own calendar. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) follows different dates. SSI payments go out on the first day of each month, unless that day is a weekend or holiday – then they get moved up, which can create months with two payments and months with none. In June 2026, the SSI payment is scheduled for the 1st.
What’s next: June payments In June, Social Security payments stick to the same pattern: June 10 for birthdays 1–10, June 17 for birthdays 11–20, and June 24 for birthdays 21–31. Beneficiaries on the pre-1997 schedule will get their payment on June 3.
Could the SSA benefits be cut in a few years?
The trust fund that Social Security uses to pay retirement benefits is projected to be emptied around 2032 or 2033. That doesn’t mean the program disappears entirely, though.
Even after the trust fund runs out, Social Security would still bring in enough payroll tax revenue to cover roughly three‑quarters of scheduled benefits. In plain terms, if nothing changes, retirees could see an automatic cut of about 20 to 25 percent starting around 2032.
But those cuts aren’t set in stone. Lawmakers have known about this problem for years, and they’ve fixed it before. In the 1980s, a bipartisan deal gradually raised the retirement age and adjusted taxes to keep the system solvent. Similar options are on the table today, like lifting the cap on income subject to Social Security taxes or slightly increasing the payroll tax rate.
There’s also talk of a later retirement age for younger workers. Most experts agree that some kind of change will happen before the trust fund runs dry. The real question isn’t whether benefits will be cut, but how Congress will mix revenue increases and benefit adjustments to avoid sudden, painful reductions.
