This month, another round of Social Security checks is set to be released. Every month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) abides by a strict payment schedule for recipients. This is to ensure that SSA beneficiaries are able to accurately plan their expenses and budgets each month, knowing that they have a guaranteed date when their income comes in. However, this payment schedule can sometimes deviate depending on whether set payment dates fall on a weekend or holiday.
Social Security abides by a strict schedule
SSA beneficiaries can generally expect their payments to be made throughout the year according to the same set schedule. These payments are staggered throughout the month, and your payment date depends on the type of Social Security you receive, when you claimed your checks, when your birthday is, and whether or not you receive more than one SSA payment. The general schedule is as follows:
- Wednesday, June 11: Birth dates between the first and 10th of the month.
- Wednesday, June 18: Birth dates between the 11th and the 20th of the month.
- Wednesday, June 25: Birth dates between the 21st and the 31st of the month
Retirement and Disability payments are paid out on these dates. However, if you claimed your benefits before May 1997, your payment date is on the third of each month, regardless of when your birthday is. Additionally, if you receive both Supplementary Security Income (SSI) from the SSA and retirement benefits, you are also paid on the third of the month. If you only receive SSI benefits, these are then made on the first of every month.
Payment schedule for June this year
According to the Social Security payment schedule, the SSA payments will be largely distributed as indicated above, However, there are some deviations from these typical payment dates this month. SSI beneficiaries may have noticed that they were issued a double payment last month, one on the typical first of the month, but also another on the 30th.
SSI beneficiaries are reminded that this payment is not a ‘bonus’ payment, but is actually their June SSI benefits. The payment was released earlier than the usual first of the month date, as June 1 this year fell on a Sunday, meaning the payment was moved up to the last working day of the week. This means that the next payment SSI beneficiaries will see will be on July 1.
Similarly, veterans who receive benefits from the US Department of Veterans Affairs also generally receive service-related disability compensation on the first of each month. They, too, would have had their June payment released on May 30. The next payment to be distributed by the Department of Veterans Affairs will also be on July 1.
Continued uncertainty for the SSA
The future of the SSA continues to remain rocky. Currently, the retirement fund is expected to be depleted by the early 2030s, meaning that beneficiaries would see their benefits drop by 20%. To address this, experts have recommended that the Administration either raise Social Security taxes or cut benefits now to increase the longevity of the fund. However, the Trump Administration has stated that they do not plan on doing either of these solutions.
While a solution to the longevity problem of the fund continues to be in the works, there are ways beneficiaries can maximize their current benefits. For example, if you are divorced, you may be surprised to learn that you are still entitled to your ex-spouse’s spousal benefits if you were married for at least ten years. Another lesser-known Social Security fact is that if you are a child of a survivor, you can actually receive benefits if you are under the age of eighteen years old.
Disclaimer: This content is informational only and does not supersede or replace the SSA’s or IRS’s own publications and notices. Always verify any specific dates and amounts by following the direct links in our article to SSA.gov or IRS.gov, or by consulting your local SSA field office or tax professional. For more information, check our Trust Principles.
