Social Security Payment Schedule for 2026

When you receive your 2026 Social Security payment is determined, with a few exceptions, by your date of birth. However, if you received Social Security before May 1997 or are receiving both Social Security & SSI, Social Security is paid on the 3rd and SSI on the 1st. If your payment date falls on a federal holiday or weekend, you can expect to receive that month’s payment on the weekday immediately prior.

The official COLA increase has been delayed until this Friday. For now, we can take a look at 2026 COLA estimates that are based on two of the three data sets used to compute this critical number.

After the release of the August CPI report, David Payne, staff economist for the Kiplinger Letter, weighed in with his COLA estimate. "[The] CPI release...still leaves the COLA at 2.7%. Next month's release will determine the final number. 2.7% is most likely, but 2.8% is possible."

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The Senior Citizens' League (TSCL) kept its prediction at 2.7% in August. The TSCL had raised its projection by 0.1% every month since its estimate for March, which came in at 2.3% after being rolled back by 0.1% in February to 2.2%.

The government shutdown has delayed the release of the COLA announcement, which usually happens on October 15. The official COLA will now be announced on October 24.

The average monthly social security check

In August 2025, the average Social Security monthly check for all retirement beneficiaries was $2,008.31, according to the Social Security Administration's Monthly Snapshot (SSA). If you are interested in knowing more about SS benefit payments and how your check measures up to peers, take a look at what the average Social Security check is by age.

Using that amount for illustrative purposes, a COLA of 2.7% in 2026 would result in an average monthly increase of $54.22 or an annual average increase of $650.69.

Schedule of Social Security benefit payments in 2026

Here are all the confirmed payment dates for retirees based on the Social Security payment schedule for 2026. Just find the day of the month you were born on the left side of the table. Then, look under each month for the specific payment date.

Why you should have a "my Social Security" account

You should definitely have a "my Social Security" account. For starters, during a government shutdown, you can use your my Social Security account to access your account information without disruption. The account can help you manage tasks such as requesting a replacement Social Security card, receiving updates about the COLA, updating your direct deposit information, and getting your Social Security 1099 form. And, if you are concerned about mail theft or travel often, you can opt out of mailed notices for those available online.

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