Your 2026 Social Security payment schedule is set by your birth date: benefits arrive on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month, and the January deposit reflects a 2.8% cost-of-living increase that lifts the average monthly retirement benefit to roughly $2,071.1Social Security Administration. Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026 What actually lands in your account depends on Medicare deductions, any tax withholding you’ve set up, and whether you’re still working.
Which Wednesday Is Yours
The Social Security Administration groups beneficiaries into three Wednesday cycles based on the day of the month you were born:2Social Security Administration. Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2026
- Born 1st through 10th: second Wednesday.
- Born 11th through 20th: third Wednesday.
- Born 21st through 31st: fourth Wednesday.
When your scheduled Wednesday falls on a federal holiday, the payment posts on the business day immediately before.3Social Security Administration. When Will I Get My Benefits if the Payment Date Falls on a Weekend or Holiday Two groups fall outside the Wednesday system entirely. If you started receiving Social Security before May 1997, your payment is fixed to the third of each month regardless of your birthday. And if you receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income, your Social Security payment also arrives on the third.2Social Security Administration. Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2026
The 2026 Calendar Month by Month
For each month, the three dates below correspond to the second, third, and fourth Wednesdays. Match the date to your birth-date group.2Social Security Administration. Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2026
- January: 14, 21, 28
- February: 11, 18, 25
- March: 11, 18, 25
- April: 8, 15, 22
- May: 13, 20, 27
- June: 10, 17, 24
- July: 8, 15, 22
- August: 12, 19, 26
- September: 9, 16, 23
- October: 14, 21, 28
- November: 11, 18, 25
- December: 9, 16, 23
All payments are delivered electronically, either by direct deposit or through the Direct Express prepaid debit card for beneficiaries without a bank account.4Social Security Administration. Social Security Direct Deposit
Supplemental Security Income Runs on a Different Track
SSI does not follow the Wednesday cycle. Payments go out on the first of each month, and when the first falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deposit arrives on the last business day before it.2Social Security Administration. Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2026 Your birth date has no effect on SSI timing.
The 2026 federal SSI amount is $994 per month for an individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple, and some states add a supplement on top.5Social Security Administration. SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026
The 2.8% COLA and What It Adds
The 2.8% increase took effect with January 2026 payments and reaches nearly 71 million beneficiaries.1Social Security Administration. Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026 For someone at the average retirement benefit, that’s about $56 more per month than in 2025. Your exact new amount appears in the COLA notice the Social Security Administration mails in December, and it also posts to your my Social Security account, where opting into electronic notices delivers it up to three weeks earlier than paper.6Social Security Administration. my Social Security
What Medicare Takes Off the Top
Most retirees do not see the full benefit deposited, because Medicare Part B premiums are withheld first. The standard Part B premium for 2026 is $202.90 per month, up from $185.00 in 2025.7Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles That $17.90 jump absorbs a large share of the COLA for anyone with a lower benefit.
A federal rule known as the hold harmless provision keeps your net Social Security deposit from dropping year over year because of a Part B premium increase. If the dollar rise in your premium would exceed your COLA raise, the premium is capped so your check stays at least even with the prior year.8Social Security Administration. How the Hold Harmless Provision Protects Your Benefits The protection applies only if you’re already receiving Social Security with Part B withheld. It does not cover first-time Part B enrollees, higher earners paying income-related surcharges, or beneficiaries whose premiums are paid by Medicaid.
Taxes on Your Benefits
Depending on your income, up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can be subject to federal income tax. The IRS calculates a figure called combined income, which is your adjusted gross income, plus nontaxable interest, plus half of your Social Security benefits.9Internal Revenue Service. IRS Reminds Taxpayers Their Social Security Benefits May Be Taxable
For single filers:10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 26 – 86 Social Security and Tier 1 Railroad Retirement Benefits
- Below $25,000 combined income: benefits are not taxable.
- $25,000 to $34,000: up to 50% of benefits may be taxable.
- Above $34,000: up to 85% of benefits may be taxable.
For married couples filing jointly:
- Below $32,000: benefits are not taxable.
- $32,000 to $44,000: up to 50% of benefits may be taxable.
- Above $44,000: up to 85% of benefits may be taxable.
These thresholds have not been adjusted for inflation since 1984, so each year’s COLA pushes more beneficiaries into taxable territory. You can request voluntary withholding through your my Social Security account or by filing Form W-4V rather than facing a lump-sum bill at tax time.
If You’re Still Working
Claiming benefits before full retirement age while continuing to earn income triggers the earnings test. For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67.11Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner – Retirement – Born in 1960 or Later The 2026 limits:12Social Security Administration. Exempt Amounts Under the Earnings Test
- Under full retirement age all year: you can earn up to $24,480. Above that, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 earned over the limit.
- Reaching full retirement age during 2026: the limit rises to $65,160 for earnings in the months before your birthday month, with $1 withheld for every $3 over.
- At or past full retirement age: no limit. You keep your full benefit regardless of what you earn.
Money withheld under the earnings test is not permanently lost. Once you reach full retirement age, the Social Security Administration recalculates your benefit to credit back the months of withheld payments, raising your monthly check going forward.13Social Security Administration. Receiving Benefits While Working
If a Payment Doesn’t Arrive
Contact your bank or credit union first. Processing delays at the financial institution are the most common cause of a missing deposit. If the bank confirms nothing pending, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit your local office to report it.14Social Security Administration. How Do I Report a Missing Payment The agency can trace the transfer and arrange a replacement. Move quickly, because the Treasury Department applies time limits when investigating lost or stolen payments.