When do Social Security checks get deposited each month? SS payment schedule confusion
I'm getting ready to retire next year and trying to plan my monthly budget. Can anyone tell me exactly when Social Security deposits retirement payments each month? My neighbor says she gets hers on the 3rd Wednesday, but my brother gets his on the 2nd Wednesday. I'm confused about how they decide which day you get paid. Does it depend on your birthday or when you applied? And do direct deposits and paper checks come on different days? Thanks for clearing this up!
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Natasha Ivanova
Social Security payment dates are based on your birth date. Here's the schedule: - If your birthday is between the 1st-10th: You get paid on the 2nd Wednesday - If your birthday is between the 11th-20th: You get paid on the 3rd Wednesday - If your birthday is between the 21st-31st: You get paid on the 4th Wednesday The only exception is if you started receiving benefits before May 1997 or if you're receiving both Social Security and SSI - then you get paid on the 3rd of each month.
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Oliver Fischer
•Thank you! My birthday is March 17th, so I guess I'll be getting paid on the 3rd Wednesday. That's really helpful for planning my bill payments.
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NebulaNomad
my check comes on the 3rd of the month. been that way for 10 years. pretty sure thats the normal day for everyone?
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Natasha Ivanova
•You must have started receiving benefits before May 1997 or you're also receiving SSI benefits. The payment schedule changed for new recipients after that date to the Wednesday schedule based on birth dates.
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NebulaNomad
•oh ok that makes sense. i started getting my checks in 1995
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Javier Garcia
The Social Security Administration is SO FRUSTRATING about this! The payment schedule is confusing on purpose so they can hold onto OUR MONEY longer!!! My mother's check was late TWICE last year with NO explanation! When you call the 800 number, you wait for HOURS only to get disconnected. They don't care that people need their money ON TIME to pay bills!!!
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Emma Taylor
•I had the same frustrating experience trying to reach SSA about a payment issue. After being disconnected three times, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you skip the wait times. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Basically connects you directly to an agent without the hours-long wait. Worked great for me when I needed to resolve a payment date issue.
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Javier Garcia
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out next time there's a problem. Anything is better than wasting an entire day on hold only to get disconnected!
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Malik Robinson
One thing to remember is that if the regular payment date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, you'll get paid on the business day BEFORE. This caught me off guard my first year on SS. Holiday schedules can be tricky.
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Oliver Fischer
•That's good to know! Is there a place on the Social Security website where they post the exact payment dates for the year with these holiday adjustments?
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Malik Robinson
•Yes! Go to ssa.gov and search for "payment calendar" or "payment schedule" - they publish the full year's schedule with all the holiday adjustments. Really helpful for planning.
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Isabella Silva
my cousin told me that if you get direct deposit you get paid earlier than paper checks is that true?
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Natasha Ivanova
•Direct deposit and paper checks are scheduled for the same day, but with direct deposit, the money is available immediately on the payment date. Paper checks might take additional days to arrive by mail and then need to be deposited. That's probably why it seems like direct deposit is earlier - it's more reliable and consistent.
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NebulaNomad
just wondering do SSI payments come on different days than regular social security? my neighbor gets SSI and she says its always the 1st
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Natasha Ivanova
•Yes, SSI (Supplemental Security Income) payments are different from regular Social Security retirement benefits. SSI payments normally come on the 1st of each month. If the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday, they come on the business day before.
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Ravi Choudhury
When my father passed last year, it took me FOREVER to figure out when my survivor benefits would come! Turned out they use MY birthday for the schedule, not his. Just FYI if anyone else is dealing with survivor benefits.
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Oliver Fischer
Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! This makes much more sense now. I'll be setting up direct deposit when I apply to avoid any mail delays. Really appreciate all the explanations!
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