Social Security checks for May, who gets paid on which Wednesday

SSI went out Friday, May 1. So did Social Security for people who filed before May 1, 1997, because the 3rd fell on a Sunday and the payment moved up to the prior business day. The rest of the month followed the birthday-based Wednesday cycle: beneficiaries born on the 1st through the 10th were paid Wednesday, May 13, those born on the 11th through the 20th were paid Wednesday, May 20, and those born after the 20th were paid Wednesday, May 27. SSA’s 2026 calendar shows May as a Wednesday-based payment month, with May 27 serving as the fourth Wednesday.

If a check or direct deposit did not arrive on the expected date, Social Security says to allow three additional mailing days before contacting the agency. Beneficiaries can also check their payment timing in a my Social Security account, or use the agency’s automated phone line at 800-772-1213; the TTY line is 800-325-0778. Those are the safest ways to verify payment timing without relying on third-party messages, calls or texts.

Memorial Day did not change the May payment calendar. Social Security moves a scheduled payment earlier only when the regular date itself falls on a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday. Because the fourth-Wednesday payment date was Wednesday, May 27, the holiday on Monday, May 25, did not push that round of checks forward or delay it.

The 2026 benefit increase is also already built into monthly payments. SSA says the COLA is 2.8 percent, affecting nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries beginning in January 2026 and about 7.5 million SSI recipients starting December 31, 2025. For SSI, the 2026 federal payment standard is $994 for an individual and $1,491 for a couple, though some states add supplements. The staggered Wednesday system has been in place since June 1997, replacing the old third-of-the-month pattern for most beneficiaries.