By The Opinion
If you depend on your Social Security check to cover basic expenses, knowing exactly when the money arrives can make all the difference. With May just around the corner, payment dates have already been definedand here we explain who gets paid first, what day it’s your turn and how much you could receive. Of course, we anticipate that some people will have to wait longer than usual.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) already has the distribution schedule ready for May 2026. Like every month, Payments are distributed on different dates depending on the type of benefit and, in many cases, your date of birth.
Who gets paid first in May?
The first group to receive their money will be on Friday, May 1. That day there are three types of beneficiaries who will see their payment reflected:
- People who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
- Social Security beneficiaries who began collecting before May 1997.
- People who receive both benefits (SSI and Social Security).
Under normal conditions, the payment for those who have Social Security since before May 1997 is made on the 3rd. However, As that date falls on a Sunday, the deposit is brought forward to Friday the 1st.
Instead, SSI is always paid on the first day of the month. This program is aimed at people with low incomes, and does not depend on work history, which makes it different from traditional Social Security.
Most beneficiaries do not receive the money on day 1. If applicable, Payments are organized on three Wednesdays of the month. This applies to those receiving retirement, disability or survivor benefits.
This is the calendar, according to your date of birth:
- If you were born between 1 and 10: you get paid on Wednesday, May 13.
- If you were born between the 11th and the 20th: you get paid on Wednesday, May 20.
- If you were born between the 21st and the 31st: You charge on Wednesday, May 27.
This system allows deposits to be better organized, since the program covers more than 70 million people throughout the country.
If you feel like this payment was very far from the previous one in April, you’re not crazy, it was. This is because the calendar with horrible birth dates delivered the payments on the closest possible days of the month, April 8, 15 and 22, respectively, which causes May payments to be 5 weeks apart. It is not a delay or a problem, it is something planned in the calendar and that you should prevent.
How much money is received?
The amounts are not the same for everyone, since They may vary depending on your work history, income and type of benefit.but the official SSA averages can give you an idea:
- Retirees: around $2,079.49 dollars per month.
- People with disabilities: about $1,634.51 dollars per month.
- Survivor benefits: about $1,624.37 per month.
- SSI: approximately $736.28 dollars per month.
These numbers are averages, so your exact amount may be more or less.
How do you get the money?
Since September of last year, the US government determined that paper checks would no longer be sent for the delivery of Social Security benefits, except in special cases. Therefore, for the most part, SSA uses two main ways to send payments– Direct deposit to your bank account or a Dispute Utter card, which works like a debit card.
Direct deposit remains the fastest and safest option. If you don’t have it activated yet, it’s worth considering to avoid delays.
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