Today is September 24th which means that the final batch of Social Security checks for this month will be rolled out to beneficiaries today. There are currently well over 70 million beneficiaries in the Social Security program and likely due to the vast volume of recipients, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has spread out its payment days throughout the month. As such, if you are a recipient of the regular Social Security benefit, Wednesdays are the day to look out for each month.
The SSA rolls out its benefit payments on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month. On each respective Wednesday, one of three total cohorts of beneficiaries will receive their monthly benefit income, and the Wednesday on which you will receive your benefits is determined in relation to your date of birth. Here is everything you need to know.
Final wave of Social Security checks hit today
Since today is the fourth Wednesday of September, beneficiaries with birth dates from the 21st to the 31st of their respective birth months can expect to receive their benefit checks for the month, today. While this is the payment date as stipulated on the SSA’s official Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments, it is also worth nothing that, “if you don’t receive your payment on the expected date, please allow three additional mailing days before contacting Social Security.”
The SSA provides its beneficiaries with the official payment schedule for the full calendar year in advance. The payment schedule can be found on the agency’s website, and on it, beneficiaries can find payment dates for both the regular Social Security benefit, as well as the Supplemental Security Income, or SSI benefit. SSI benefits are typically paid on the first of each month, however, the agency does often pay this benefit earlier if the first falls on a weekend or a holiday.
Payment dates for the regular Social Security benefits, on the other hand, are structured as follows:
- Second Wednesday – recipients with birth dates from the 1st of the month to the 10th
- Third Wednesday – recipients with birth dates from the 11th of the month to the 20th
- Fourth Wednesday – recipients with birth dates from the 21st of the month to the 31st
As such, throughout September, the first two batches of beneficiaries would have received their benefits on September 10th and 17th — with the final batch of recipients scheduled to receive their benefits on September 24th, which is today.
If a beneficiary qualifies to receive both the regular Social Security benefit, as well as the Supplemental Security Income, the SSA notes the following: “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.”
SSI benefit payments will be rolled out on the following dates for the remainder of 2025:
- October 1st – SSI benefit for October
- October 31st – SSI benefit for November
- December 1st – SSI benefit for December
- December 31st – SSI benefit for January 2026
End to paper checks approaches
Acting in accordance with a March executive order, the SSA announced in July that it will no longer be issuing paper checks to recipients as of September 30th. The executive order was issued with the aim of modernizing all transactions to and from the broader federal government. The agency has since been encouraging paper check recipients to switch their payment method over to one of the two available electronic options, however, exceptions will be made under certain circumstances.
According to the reminder issued by the SSA on Friday, beneficiaries can switch payment methods to one of the following options:
- Direct Deposit: Social Security beneficiaries can manage direct deposit through their personal my Social Security account. Supplemental Security Income recipients and international beneficiaries can call 1-800-772-1213 for help.
- Direct Express® Card: For those without a bank account, enroll by calling
1-800-333-1795 or visiting www.usdirectexpress.com.