Why your birth date decides your Social Security payment day
Use the tool: This month's payment dates. Find the exact day your money arrives.
Social Security pays most people on a Wednesday chosen by their birthday. If you were born on the 1st to 10th of the month, you're paid on the second Wednesday. Born on the 11th to 20th, it's the third Wednesday. Born on the 21st to 31st, it's the fourth Wednesday. People who started getting benefits before May 1997, and a few other groups, are paid on the 3rd instead. SSI is paid on the 1st.
The payment days at a glance
| If this describes you | You're paid on |
|---|---|
| Born on the 1st to 10th | Second Wednesday |
| Born on the 11th to 20th | Third Wednesday |
| Born on the 21st to 31st | Fourth Wednesday |
| Getting Social Security since before May 1997 | The 3rd |
| Getting both Social Security and SSI | SSI on the 1st, Social Security on the 3rd |
| Getting SSI only | The 1st |
When the day falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the money arrives on the business day before. See this month's exact dates.
Why Social Security uses birth dates
Until 1997, all Social Security benefits were paid on the 3rd of the month. Since June 1997, SSA has spread payments across four days: the 3rd plus the second, third and fourth Wednesdays. People who were already getting benefits before May 1997 kept the 3rd. Most people who claimed from May 1, 1997 onwards were given a Wednesday based on their day of birth.
Only the day of the month you were born matters. Your birth month and year make no difference.
If you get benefits on someone else's record
Spouses, children and survivors who get benefits based on another person's work record use that person's birth date, not their own. SSA pays everyone on the same record on the same day.
For example, a wife born on the 25th who gets a spouse's benefit on her husband's record, and whose husband was born on the 8th, is paid on the second Wednesday, the same day as him.
Who is paid on the 3rd instead
Some people are paid on the 3rd of the month, whatever their birthday. SSA lists these reasons, among others:
- you filed for benefits before May 1, 1997;
- you also get SSI;
- your state pays your Medicare premiums;
- you live outside the United States.
SSI follows its own calendar
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is paid on the 1st of each month. If the 1st is a weekend or holiday, it comes on the last business day of the month before. That's why SSI recipients sometimes get two payments in one month and none the next. It isn't extra money; the second payment belongs to the following month.
Can you change your payment day?
No. Your day is set by these rules, not chosen. If your money arrives on a different day than the rules suggest, check your my Social Security account, which shows your payment history and next payment date, or ask SSA on 1-800-772-1213.
Sources
- Social Security Administration, Paying monthly benefits
- Social Security Administration blog, What day of the month do I get my Social Security payment?
- Social Security Administration, Schedule of Social Security payments
Next step: This month's payment dates.