As a new month starts, a new batch of Social Security benefit payments will be made for payees starting this week.
Why It Matters
The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides monthly payments to more than 74 million Americans, providing a financial bedrock for retirees, people with disabilities, and survivors of deceased claimants. To handle the vast number of beneficiaries, the agency spaces out payments throughout the month, with schedules determined mainly by recipients’ birth dates.
What To Know
Two rounds of benefit payments will be made this week on Wednesday, September 3. This will be for all those who are either:
- Social Security retirement payees who have been collecting benefits since before 1997.
- Retirement, spousal and survivor recipients who also collect Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Most SSI—a program for low-income seniors aged 65 and older and individuals with disabilities and blindness—recipients would usually expect their check on Monday, September 1. But because it is Labor Day, those benefits for September were already distributed on Friday, 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 SSA advises beneficiaries to wait at least three business days before contacting the agency if their deposit or check does not arrive on schedule.
Further Payment Dates This Month
Still waiting for your check? Your payment could arrive on one of the following days:
- 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 levels depend on a worker’s earnings record and the age at which they begin collecting. As of July 2025, the SSA reported an average monthly retirement payment of $2,006.69.
Maximum retirement benefits also vary. At the full retirement age of 67, the cap is $4,018 per month. Claiming at 62 reduces the maximum to $2,831, while delaying until 70 raises it to $5,108.
SSI, which supports about 7.4 million Americans, averages $718.30 per month.
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