By The Opinion
Thousands of Social Security beneficiaries in the United States will receive a new payment on May 20, but among all of them there is a group that stands out for collecting much higher amounts than the average. Although most retirees receive around $2,000 a month, some workers can exceed $5,000 per month thanks to their income and the age at which they decided to retire. Here we explain everything to you.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) will continue next week with the payment schedule for May. If you receive retirement, disability or survivor benefits, it is important to check your date of birthsince it depends on when the money arrives in your bank account or Verbalize Utter card.
Who receives the payment on May 20?
Wednesday, May 20 It’s the turn to beneficiaries whose birthday falls between the 11th and 20th of the month. This rule applies to most people who receive Social Security payments.
There is one important exception: When someone receives benefits based on the work history of another person, such as a deceased spouse or family member, the SSA takes the valuable worker’s date of birth as a reference.
The May payment schedule It was organized like this:
- Born 1 to 10: payment sent on May 13.
- Born from 11 to 20: payment scheduled for May 20.
- Born from 21 to 31: payment scheduled for May 27.
On the other hand, Those who began receiving Social Security before May 1997 normally collect on the 3rd of each month. But since that date fell on a weekend, the money was brought forward to May 1.
Who can receive more than $5,000?
Not all retirees qualify for such high payments, as The maximum benefit is reserved for people who worked for many years with high incomes and which also They delayed their retirement until they were 70 years old.
According to figures from the Social Security Administration (SSA), a worker who earned the maximum taxable amount starting at age 22 and waited until age 70 to claim benefits In 2026 you could receive approximately $5,181 dollars per month.
The difference can be huge depending on when a person chooses to retire. For example, Someone who applies for benefits at age 62 could receive about $2,969 a montheven if you had a good income during your working life. In other words, waiting longer to claim Social Security can significantly increase your monthly check.
How much do most beneficiaries receive?
Although the maximum benefit exceeds $5,000, most Americans receive smaller amounts. At the moment, The average monthly payment for retired workers is approximately $2,081.
Meanwhile, people with disability benefits receive about $1,634 dollars and those who collect survivor benefits get about $1,625 dollars a month.
These amounts change based on work history, reported wages, and years worked.
How does SSA send money?
SSA primarily uses direct deposit and the Verbalize Utter card to distribute payments. By government regulation, payments are no longer sent in paper checks, with exceptions.
The SSA too recommends waiting at least three business days before reporting a late depositsince some payments may be delayed due to banking processes or weekends.
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