Many Americans, specifically those reliant on Social Security checks have been showing a growing concern for the stability of this source of income as things appear to be up in the air for the moment with regards to payments. This is due to the changes occurring within the government as the Social Security Administration (SSA) appears to be restructuring itself under the new Trump Administration.
Marin O’Malley, the former Social Security Commissioner, has warned that the over 70 million Americans who depend on these monthly or weekly checks could be faced with a delay in their payments. O’Malley fears that between the chaos within the administration due to cuts, coupled with the implementation of DOGE, beneficiaries of these checks should brace themselves for a potential interruption in the delivery of their benefits.
“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 stated. “I’ve never hoped I was wrong so much in my life.”
“Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits. I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days,” O’Malley further predicted, however, no official confirmations of this have yet been made.
How are Social Security payments rolled out?
As any beneficiary would know, the payments are made on Wednesdays throughout the month. However, which Wednesday of the month is determined depending on the recipients date of birth. Take this upcoming May for example, what this means is that if the recipient’s birthdate falls between the first and tenth of the month, payments will go out on May 7, the second Wednesday. Those born between the 11th and 20th will receive payments on May 21 and those born from the 21st to the 31st will receive their payments on the final Wednesday of the month which is May 28.
The Social Security Administration releases the payment schedule for the full year at the beginning of the year so that beneficiaries may budget accordingly. In addition to the Wednesday payments, there are some additional days selected for other supplementary payments known as SSIs as well.
What to know about SSI and payments for this week
SSI or Supplementary Social Income, is a monthly benefit that is issued to recipients with limited resources or income. This usually applies to individuals over the age of 65, the blind, or those with a qualifying disability. Additionally, children with qualifying disabilities may also qualify for SSI benefits.
It should also be noted that generally speaking, in order for an adult to qualify for SSI benefits, they will not have a monthly wage above the amount of $2,019.
The SSI schedule for 2025 is as follows:
- Thursday, May 1, 2025 (Check for May 2025)
- Friday, May 30, 2025 (Check for June 2025)
- Tuesday, July 1, 2025 (Check for July 2025)
- Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 (Check for August 2025)
- Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 (Check for September 2025)
- Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 (Check for October 2025)
- Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Check for November 2025)
- Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 (Check for December 2025)
- Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 (Check for January 2026)
Now, for Social Security beneficiaries who receive both the standard Social Security benefit, as well as the SSI benefit, Social Security will be paid on the 3rd and the SSI will be paid on the first.
“If you received Social Security before May 1997 or if receiving both Social Security & SSI, Social Security is paid on the 3rd and SSI on the 1st,” as per the official schedule from the SSA.
As such, for this upcoming month of May, the date May 2 is blocked off for recipients of both Social Security and Supplementary Social Income. Additionally, the SSA has also mentioned a brief grace period when waiting for benefit payments on the schedule. “If you don’t receive your payment on the expected date, please allow three additional mailing days before contacting Social Security,” as per the SSA.