When Social Security Recipients Will Get Their Checks in May
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Some Social Security payments for May will go out on a different schedule than normal to accommodate a few quirks in the calendar. Namely, for the first time in 2025, beneficiaries will get two Supplemental Security Income (SSI) checks in the same month.
Roughly 68 million Americans receive Social Security benefits every month, including about 9 out of every 10 people age 65 and up. Funds aren't just for older folks, though. Payments go out to retirees, survivors of late workers, those with little to no resources, disabled workers, the blind, dependents and more.
The average Social Security payments for those various groups of people vary, but data from March shows the typical retirement benefit was just over $1,909.
When will I get my May Social Security payment?
Your Social Security payment date is determined by your birthday.
If you were born on the first through the 10th of the month, you can expect to get your Social Security check on the second Wednesday of every month — in this case, May 14.
If you were born on the 11th through the 20th of the month, you can expect to get your Social Security check on the third Wednesday of every month — in this case, May 21.
If you were born on the 21st through the 31st, you can expect to get your Social Security check on the fourth Wednesday of every month — in this case, May 28.
There are a few departures from the norm this month. Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, payments should go out on the first and 30th. The first check is for May; the second is an early SSI payment for June because the normal distribution date, June 1, falls on a Sunday this year. After that, the next SSI payment will be sent July 1.
Another change to note: Folks who get both SSI and Social Security, as well those who initially claimed Social Security prior to May 1997, should get their Social Security benefits a day early. Those checks will go out May 2, rather than May 3, as the latter falls on a Saturday.
Where is my May Social Security payment?
Check the payment schedule above.
If you think your money is missing, you can reach out to the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA has both local offices and a toll-free national number. The national phone number is 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Pro tip: The agency says wait times are shortest in the morning, late in the week and late in the month.
In any case, the SSA asks that you wait three mailing days before contacting it about a missing Social Security payment.
Why is my May Social Security payment different?
In April, the SSA started sending out bigger monthly checks to about 3 million beneficiaries thanks to the Social Security Fairness Act, a law signed in January. The act eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which were intended to prevent folks with pensions from "double-dipping" on federal benefits.
Payments have now been recalculated for certain recipients; most of these folks began receiving their increased checks last month.
If you qualify for higher Social Security payments, you don't have to do anything — the adjustment should be automatic. But the SSA is still working through "many complex cases that cannot be processed automatically," according to a note on its website.
"Additional time is required to manually update the records and pay both retroactive benefits and the new benefits amount. We are expediting these cases now," the SSA wrote. "We are releasing retroactive benefits and sending new monthly benefit amounts as we process each case, with the expectation that all beneficiary records will be updated by early November 2025."
What is Elon Musk's DOGE doing with Social Security?
President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, acting as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, have been on a quest to slash what they see as excessive government spending.
In January, the Office of Management and Budget put out, and then rescinded, a memo telling agencies to temporarily pause federal financial assistance programs and evaluate their costs. But the memo specifically mentioned that "nothing" in it "should be construed to impact Medicare or Social Security benefits."
Then, on Feb. 11, Musk said he'd found "crazy things" in a "cursory examination" of the Social Security system, including "people in there that are 150 years old." This is not entirely true: Although improper payments do (occasionally) go out, there are no 150-year-olds receiving benefits.
"Obviously, we want to make sure that people who deserve to receive Social Security do receive it, and that they receive it quickly and accurately," Musk added.
Last month, a federal judge blocked DOGE staffers from accessing beneficiaries' sensitive personal information in their bid to build an extensive database with details from the SSA, IRS and other agencies.
Amid repeated Social Security website crashes, office closures and reductions in staff, experts like former SSA Commissioner Martin O'Malley have warned of a "system collapse and an interruption of benefits."
What is the SSA payment schedule for 2025?
You can find the SSA's 2025 payment calendar on its website. Although it largely follows the schedule laid out above, some months are different.
To learn more about your payment status or to get additional help with Medicare, retirement benefits, disability, SSI and more, make a "my Social Security" account for free at SSA.gov.
How do I calculate my Social Security payment?
Benefits are generally calculated according to your average indexed monthly earnings, which include up to 35 years of your highest-earning years. The SSA then applies a formula to determine your primary insurance amount.
The amount of money retirees actually receive depends partially on their age. Though you can start getting Social Security retirement payments at 62 years old, the longer you wait to claim Social Security, the higher your payments will be (until age 70, when the increases stop).
For many Americans, this money is crucial — Social Security accounts for about 30% of the income received by folks over age 65. As people live longer and legislators wrestle over future of Social Security, the cost of retirement for retirees is surging: In 2022, federal data shows retired households spent an average of $54,975, including $11,186 on shelter, $8,065 on transportation and $7,505 on health care.
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