When it comes to issuing monthly benefit checks to the tens of millions of beneficiaries in the Social Security program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) follows a strict schedule. The regular Social Security benefit is paid on a Wednesday rotation through the month, whilst the Supplemental Security Income is issued on the first of the month. The SSA makes its official benefit payment schedule for the full calendar year available online and well in advance. Though we are still in 2025, beneficiaries already have access to the complete payment schedule for the 2026 calendar year. This allows beneficiaries the ability to plan their budgets for each month in advance, which can be especially helpful if the beneficiary relies primarily or solely on their monthly benefit check to cover their expenses.
The date on which a beneficiary will receive their monthly benefit is determined in relation to their date of birth. This upcoming Wednesday is the third Wednesday of November, which means that beneficiaries with birth dates between the 11th and the 20th of their respective birth month will be receiving their November benefit. Here is what you need to know.
Another round of November benefits scheduled to hit bank accounts this Wednesday
On the official Social Security benefit payment schedule, beneficiaries will find the payment dates for both the regular Social Security benefit (which includes retiree benefits, disability benefits, spousal benefits, and survivor benefits), as well as the Supplemental Security Income. The Supplemental Security Income is a type of welfare benefit that is paid to recipients with little to no other income or resources, often as a result of a disability. The Supplemental security Income is issued on the first of the month, however, there is a small but important caveat to this payment structure.
If the first of the month falls on a weekend or a holiday (i.e. a non-working day), the SSA will push up the payment to the last working day of the previous month. This prevents any delays on the part of the beneficiary. As such, it sometimes appears as though SSI payments have been skipped over for some months, whilst other months have a bonus SSI payment — even though all calendar months are accounted for and no bonus payments are being issued.
In terms of the regular Social Security benefits, payment is issued on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month, depending on the date of birth of the beneficiary. For November, benefits will be issued on the following dates:
- Second Wednesday, November 12th — beneficiaries with birth dates from the 1st to the 10th of their respective birth month
- Third Wednesday, November 19th — beneficiaries with birth dates from the 11th to the 20th of their respective birth month
- Fourth Wednesday, November 26th — beneficiaries with birth dates from the 21st to the 31st of their respective birth month
What is the maximum benefit?
Social Security benefits are determined largely in relation to your lifetime earnings, however, things such as retirement age and additional income also factor in to the final calculation. As such, the amount any one beneficiary receives will differ from one person to the next. For beneficiaries claiming at full retirement age, the maximum benefit amount currently being issued by the SSA totals to $4,018.
There is, however, a benefit amount issued that is higher than that figure, and this is the benefit for claimants with delayed retirement credits. In 2025, the absolute maximum benefit amount issued by the SSA totals to $5,108, and in order to qualify for this amount, all of the following requirements need to be met by the claimant:
- Work for a minimum of 35 years
- Earn an income that is equivalent to or higher than the wage cap for 35 years
- Delay your retirement until you are 70 years of age.