On Tuesday next week, certain Social Security beneficiaries in the U.S. are due to receive their monthly payment for February.
The distribution date benefits two groups of recipients who claim one of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) retirement, disability or survivor benefits.
Who’s getting a payment from Social Security on Feb. 3?
- Some long-term beneficiaries
The SSA is to send out payments to some long-standing recipients of retirement, disability or survivor pay: specifically, those who have been claiming any of these benefits since before May 1997.
- Beneficiaries also on SSI
Feb. 3 is also your payment date for retirement, disability or survivor benefits if you combine any of these programs with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – a scheme for low-income people who are over 65 or have a disability.
February’s SSI money, meanwhile, was to go out four days earlier, on Friday, Jan. 30.
How much are retirement, disability and survivor benefits?
As of December 2025 – the most recent monthly figures published by the SSA – retired workers got an average of $2,071.30 a month. Disabled workers were paid a monthly average of $1,633.19, and beneficiaries of survivor payments received an average of $1,620.95 per month.
From January, however, benefit amounts were to increase by 2.8%, as part of the SSA’s annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). For recipients of retirement benefits – who represent the majority of Social Security beneficiaries – this means an average monthly rise of $56, the SSA has said.
When do other Social Security recipients get paid for February?
If not among those paid on Feb. 3, recipients of retirement, disability or survivor benefits are to get their money on the second, third or fourth Wednesday in February.
A beneficiary’s designated Wednesday depends on the date of birth of the worker whose Social Security taxes have accumulated the benefits entitlement:
- Born on 1st-10th of month: Weds., Feb. 11
- Born on 11th-20th of month: Weds., Feb. 18
- Born on 21st-31st of month: Weds., Feb. 25
You can take a look at the SSA’s complete schedule of payments for 2026 on this online calendar.
How would the government shutdown affect Social Security?
After Congress missed Friday’s midnight deadline to pass a spending package that affects several federal agencies – including the SSA – the U.S. government has entered a partial shutdown. The legislation passed the Senate on Friday, but has to be approved by the House of Representatives, which is not due to convene until Monday.
House speaker Mike Johnson has talked of a “short shutdown situation” – but even if the funding gap drags on, Social Security beneficiaries will continue to receive their monthly payments as normal. Benefits are paid for by what’s known as ‘mandatory’ funding – money that does not depend on periodic congressional appropriations.
In a contingency plan published in September, before last fall’s 43-day stoppage, the agency stressed its commitment to uninterrupted benefits, pledging to “continue activities critical to […] ensure accurate and timely payment“.
How does Social Security make benefits payments?
The SSA says it is “in most cases” no longer issuing benefits as paper checks. Instead, the agency gives beneficiaries two ways of receiving payments electronically:
By providing the SSA with their bank details, beneficiaries can be paid by direct deposit. Recipients of retirement, disability and survivor benefits can update their bank-account information using the agency’s online “my Social Security” portal.
Beneficiaries can also have their payments paid onto the Direct Express Card, a special debit card for federal disbursements made to people who do not have a bank account. You can sign up for the card by calling 1-800-333-1795 or visiting the Direct Express website.
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