Why Some Social Security Recipients Will Get 2 Payments in May
Certain beneficiaries of Social Security are getting an extra check in May thanks to an anomaly in the Social Security Administration’s payment schedule.
The usual payments for recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which provides assistance for some Americanas 65 and older and qualified adults and children with disability or blindness, went out on the first of May. Another check will be distributed on the last day of the month, and none will go out in June.
There’s no reason to worry. SSI beneficiaries will still get their full benefits as usual, but their June payments will arrive a little early due to the aforementioned calendar quirk.
When will I get my Social Security payment?
Typically, SSI beneficiaries receive their payments on the first of each month, unless it falls on a federal holiday or a weekend. That’s what’s happening in June, which starts on Saturday this year.
When this occurs, SSI payments go out on the previous business day instead, resulting in two payments in one month. That means this month, beneficiaries will get their payment for June on May 31 in addition to the regularly scheduled payment they received on the first.
The schedule then resumes as normal the following month, so SSI beneficiaries can expect the next payment on July 1.
This isn’t the first time this scheduling quirk has occurred this year: SSI beneficiaries also received two payments in March, and the same thing will happen again in August, November and December.
Beneficiaries of both Social Security retirement benefits and SSI, as well as anyone who claimed benefits before May 1997, typically receive their regular Social Security payment on the third of the month and their SSI benefits on the first. Those who receive both Social Security and SSI will also get two SSI payments in May.
If you only receive Social Security retirement benefits and first claimed after May 1997, your payment date is determined by your birthday. Social Security beneficiaries with birthdays between the first and 10th of any given month will get paid on May 8.
If your birthdays falls between the 11th and 20th of any given month, you'll get your check on May 15. Beneficiaries with birthdays between the 21st and 31st are due to receive payments on May 22.
What if I don’t get my Social Security payment?
The SSA encourages beneficiaries to wait three business days before reaching out about missing or delayed benefits. You can confirm when your check is scheduled to arrive here, or by checking your Social Security online account under the "Benefits and Payments” section.
You can call the SSA on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. at 1-800-772-1213. Wait times are usually shorter in the morning, later in the week and later in the month, according to the SSA’s contact page.
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