The system of Social Security in the United States will distribute its March 2026 payments on four different dates, with amounts that vary significantly depending on the age at which each beneficiary decided to activate their benefit. The scheme follows a tiered structure that the Social Security Administration (SSA) applies systematically each month.
The first disbursement of the month took place on February 27, when the program recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) received their March payment. The advance payment is due to March 1, 2026, falling on a Sunday, which triggers a standard SSA protocol to avoid delays on non-business days. As a direct result of this advance, there will be no SSI payments during the calendar month of March.
The remaining benefits—those corresponding to retirement, disability (SSDI), and survivors (RSDI)—are distributed according to a schedule divided into blocks.
Social Security Dates Are Structured by Seniority and Date of Birth
The beneficiaries who started receiving payments before May 1997, and those who receive both Social Security and SSI simultaneously, will receive their payment on March 3. From there, the SSA organizes the remaining payments based on the cardholder’s day of birth:
- Those born between the 1st and 10th will be charged on March 11
- Those born between the 11th and 20th, on March 18
- And those whose date of birth falls between the 21st and 31st, on March 25
The 2026 Cost-Of-Living Adjustment Set the Increase at 2.8%
The COLA (Cost-of-Living Adjustment) applied for 2026 was 2.8%. This percentage translated into concrete increases over the current maximum amounts. These maximum amounts, however, are reserved for a very specific type of worker: those who have contributed above the maximum taxable limit—set at $184,500 in 2026—for at least 35 years.
For that profile, the monthly benefit varies substantially depending on the retirement age. A worker who activated their benefit at 62 years old, the minimum legal age, receives a maximum of $2,969 per month.
Who waited until 67 years old—considered the Full Retirement Age (FRA) for those born in 1960 or later—accesses a ceiling of $4,152 monthly. The highest amount corresponds to those who postponed withdrawal until 70 years: $5,181 per month, the absolute maximum that the system contemplates.
The Difference Between Retiring at 62 or 70 Exceeds $2,000 Monthly
The gap between these two extremes is significant. Withdrawing the benefit at age 62 implies a reduction of between 5% and 6.67% for each year of prepayment regarding the FRA. Conversely, each year that the beneficiary postpones collection beyond their FRA generates an increase of 8% annually, up to the limit of 70.
For those born in 1959 there is a peculiarity: their FRA is not exactly 67 years, but 66 years and 10 months. The 67-year FRA applies fully only to the generation born in 1960 and later.
The actual average benefit a retiree receives in 2026 is considerably lower than the theoretical maximum. According to available data, that average is approximately $2,064 per month. This shows that the majority of beneficiaries do not meet the conditions to access the system’s ceiling.
