Social Security benefits are paid out to well over 70 million Americans and for many of these individuals, these benefit checks are their sole source of income for the month. As such, the importance of these payments being made consistently and without interruption cannot be understated.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) releases the payment schedule for the year in advance so that recipients or beneficiaries can plan their weekly or monthly budgets accordingly. Social Security benefit payments are made on Wednesdays throughout the month depending on the birthdate of the recipient. Additionally, Supplementary Social Income (SSI) payments are also made on or around these dates according to the official SSA schedule.
However, for this May, it appears that absolutely no payments — not even supplementary ones — will be made for the first week starting on May 4 till May 10, with the next Social Security benefit only going out on May 14.
No Social Security payments for the beginning of May
The Social Security benefit payment schedule for May appears to be ever so slightly different to that of the previous months of this year as there is a rather large gap between payment dates at the start of the month.
For many of the millions of beneficiaries in America, these payments are an absolute necessity that allows the recipients to make ends meet for that month or week. According to the SSA’s schedule for May, the Supplementary Social Income payments will be made on May 1 and May 2 has been blocked off for those who receive both Social Security and Supplementary Social Income.
Following this, there will be a period of eleven days, from May 3 to May 13, wherein no payments will be made. Whilst the hope is that the recipients of these benefits would have budgeted accordingly since the schedule is released at the beginning of the year, this window with no payments could still prove to be detrimental to the budgets of those who live paycheck to paycheck.
Former Social Security Commissioner warns of potential delay with benefit payments
When a change in leadership occurs, during the initial weeks, the state of the nation often seems to be at unrest with an air of uncertainty that persists on. In this regard, former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley has been showing an urgent sense of concern with regards to the way benefit payments will be rolled out in the near future. O’Malley has fears that a pause or interruption with the process is imminent and this will, of course, be to the detriment of the beneficiaries who are reliant on this monthly check.
“I truly believe there’s going to be some interruption of benefits for some period of time, and I believe that will probably happen in the very near future,” O’Malley warned, according to Long Island Press. “I’ve never hoped I was wrong so much in my life.”
O’Malley’s fears seem to be stemming from the changes occurring within the SSA under Trump’s Administration. These changes have been coming about as a result of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE is a recent initiative that is aimed at slashing federal spending.
Additionally, the SSA has reduced its workforce by 12%, meaning that around 7,000 employees had been let go. The resulting chaos of this now concentrated workforce is one of the driving forces behind O’Malley’s fears. The opinions regarding this matter are somewhat mixed, however.
On one hand, O’Malley appears to be convinced these problems are imminent. On the other hand, Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, is of the opinion that, “Social Security benefits aren’t being interrupted any more now than before DOGE. The primary issue was the push to move applications online, which faced backlash, especially from boomers who struggled with the tech and website glitches. Fortunately, the administration responded by reopening the phone lines to better accommodate those who prefer speaking with someone.”