Social Security is a welfare program run by the United States government aimed at providing aid to those who are no longer able to earn an income for themselves due to varying reasons such as, being past the retirement age or due to a disability. As such, the importance of this monthly benefit cannot be understated as it is a means of making ends meet for the millions of Americans reliant on these checks.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) plans out its payment schedule well in advance with payment dates for the full year usually made available at the beginning of the year. This is done so that beneficiaries are able to plan their monthly monthly budgets accordingly thereby ensuring that each month goes smoothly for them in terms of finances.
Social Security payments for today
As any beneficiary knows well, Social Security payments go out on Wednesdays throughout the month in relation to the date of birth of the recipient. This means that beneficiaries born between the 1st and the 10th of the month will receive their check on the second Wednesday of the month. Recipients born between the 11th and the 20th receive their checks on the third Wednesday and finally, those born between the 21st and the 31st of the month will receive their benefits on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
As such, despite it already being the 7th of May and a Wednesday, no Social Security checks will be going out today as per the official payment schedule of the Social Security Administration since it is only the first Wednesday of the month.
The first Social Security benefit check for the month of May will be going out next Wednesday, on May 14 for the cohort with birth dates in the first third of the month.
Beneficiaries could receive three checks for May
The Social Security Administration pays out two types of benefits to eligible beneficiaries each month. This first payment is the regular Social Security check that goes out on Wednesdays to recipients such as retirees, seniors, or disabled individuals, amongst others. The second payment made by the SSA to beneficiaries is the Supplemental Social Income, or SSI, which generally rolls out on the first day of each month.
Supplemental Social Income is a benefit paid to retirees, older adults, or disabled individuals who have little to no other income or resources. According to the SSA schedule for 2025, for the month of May, the SSI payment had been rolled out on May 1. The payment schedule for May additionally states that a second SSI payment will be made on May 30.
It is crucial for beneficiaries of SSI to note that this May 30 SSI payment is the SSI benefit for the month of June, meaning that there will be no SSI payment for the entirety of June.
Furthermore, for beneficiaries who receive both the regular Social Security benefit, as well as the SSI benefit, their payment dates may differ slightly as per the SSA schedule. For recipients of both benefits, the Social Security benefit will be paid on the 3rd of the month and the SSI benefit will be paid on the 1st of the month.
These dates apply to beneficiaries who have been receiving Social Security from before May of 1997 as well.
Additionally, the SSA has also noted that, “If you don’t receive your payment on the expected date, please allow three additional mailing days before contacting Social Security.”
The SSA has also recently updated its policies and verification processes in the hopes of curbing any potential for fraud. As such, beneficiaries should exercise extra caution and always ensure that their personal details and direct deposit information is correct and up to date.