Millions of Social Security recipients are set to receive their monthly benefits this week as the Social Security Administration rolls out the second round of August payments.
Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th of any month are scheduled to receive their checks on Wednesday, Aug. 19, according to the SSA's payment calendar. The payment is part of the agency's regular monthly distribution schedule, which sends benefits on Wednesdays based on recipients' birth dates.
The latest payments arrive as Social Security's long-term financial outlook remains a focus in Washington. The program's retirement trust fund could face a shortfall as early as 2032 unless Congress takes action, prompting lawmakers and policy groups to offer competing proposals
to shore up the system.
Here's who will receive a Social Security payment this week, when benefits are sent each month, and what recipients should know about the remainder of the 2026 payment schedule.
Who gets their Social Security payment this week?
Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th day of any month are scheduled to receive their August benefit payment on Wednesday, Aug. 19, according to the SSA's payment calendar.
When are Social Security payments sent?
Social Security benefits are generally paid on Wednesdays and are scheduled according to a recipient's birth date:
- Birth dates from the 1st through the 10th: Second Wednesday of the month
- Birth dates from the 11th through the 20th: Third Wednesday of the month
- Birth dates from the 21st through the 31st: Fourth Wednesday of the month
People who began receiving Social Security benefits before May 1997 typically receive payments on the third day of each month, unless that date falls on a weekend or federal holiday.
Recipients who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) generally receive SSI on the first day of the month and Social Security benefits on the third day of the month.
Full 2026 Social Security payment calendar
SSI payment schedule for the rest of 2026
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) checks are typically issued payments on the first business day of the month. But in August, the first day of the month landed on a Saturday; therefore, the payment for August was sent on Friday, July 31.
Here are the dates for SSI payments for 2026, according to the SSA calendar:
- Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 (Check for September 2026)
- Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 (Check for October 2026)
- Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 (Check for November 2026)
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026 (Check for December 2026)
- Friday, Dec. 31, 2026 (Check for January 2027)
USA TODAY’s Mike Snider contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Social Security checks arrive this week. Are you getting one?
