Social Security recipients will receive their monthly benefits on one of four scheduled payment dates in September, depending primarily on when they began receiving benefits and the birth date associated with their Social Security record.
The Social Security Administration’s 2026 payment calendar lists Social Security payment dates of September 3rd, 9th, 16th and 23rd. Supplemental Security Income recipients are separately scheduled to receive their September SSI payment on September 1st.
The four Social Security payment dates do not mean individual beneficiaries will receive four Social Security checks during September. Instead, the payments are divided among different groups of recipients.
Beneficiaries who began receiving Social Security benefits before May 1997 generally receive their payment on the third day of the month. People who receive both Social Security and SSI also generally receive their Social Security benefit on the 3rd and their SSI payment on the 1st.
For most beneficiaries who applied for Social Security benefits after April 30th, 1997, payment dates are determined by the birth date of the person whose earnings record the benefits are based on.
Those with birth dates from the 1st through the 10th are scheduled to receive benefits Wednesday, September 9th. Those with birth dates from the 11th through the 20th are scheduled for Wednesday, September 16th, while those with birth dates from the 21st through the 31st are scheduled for Wednesday, September 23rd.
SSI recipients are scheduled to receive their September payment Tuesday, September 1st. Unlike Social Security benefits, SSI payments are generally issued on the first day of the month unless that date falls on a weekend or federal holiday.
The September schedule does not represent additional benefits or four payments for each Social Security recipient. It is the SSA’s normal system of staggering monthly benefit payments among different groups of beneficiaries.
Social Security benefits received in 2026 include a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment that took effect at the beginning of the year. The SSA estimates the average monthly benefit for retired workers at $2,071 following the adjustment.
Recipients can view the complete payment calendar and information about when their benefits are scheduled through the Social Security Administration.
