Two rounds of Social Security payments are scheduled to go out to recipients this week.

Why It Matters

The Social Security Administration (SSA) delivers monthly benefits to more than 70 million Americans, serving as a critical income source for retirees, disabled workers and survivors. To manage the large number of recipients, payments are staggered across the month, based largely on beneficiaries’ birth dates.

What To Know

This week, the SSA is set to issue checks on August 27 for people with birthdays between the 21st and 31st of any month.

Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—a program for low-income seniors aged 65 and older and individuals with disabilities and blindness—should expect their next payment earlier than usual. Because Labor Day falls on September 1, SSI benefits for September are set to be distributed on August 29.

“When the first day of the month falls on the weekend or a Federal holiday, you receive your SSI payment on the last business day before the first day of the month. That means you may get two SSI payments in the same month,” the SSA wrote in a 2022 blog post.

“We do this to avoid putting you at a financial disadvantage and make sure that you don’t have to wait beyond the first of the month to get your payment. It does not mean that you are receiving a duplicate payment in the previous month, so you do not need to contact us to report the second payment,” the agency continued.

The SSA advises beneficiaries to wait at least three business days before contacting the agency if their deposit or check does not arrive on schedule. Weekends and public holidays do not count as business days.

September Payment Schedule

For retirement, spousal and survivor benefits, payments are scheduled to be made on the following dates in September:

• September 3: Those who began receiving benefits before May 1997 or who also collect SSI.
• September 10: Those with birthdays between the 1st and 10th of any month.
• September 17: Those with birthdays between the 11th and 20th.
• September 24: Those with birthdays between the 21st and 31st.

How Much Do Beneficiaries Receive?

Benefit amounts vary widely based on earnings history and the age at which recipients claim. In May 2025, the SSA reported that the average retirement check reached $2,002.39, the first time the figure has topped $2,000.

Meanwhile, SSI provides monthly assistance to about 7.4 million people, averaging $718.30.

Maximum retirement benefits also differ depending on when they are claimed. At the full retirement age of 67, the maximum monthly payment is $4,018. Claiming early at 62 lowers that maximum to $2,831, while waiting until age 70 increases it to $5,108.