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Millions of Americans will receive their next Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment over a series of dates in August, with the exact timing depending on the type of benefit they receive and, for many, their date of birth.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes benefits on a staggered schedule each month, rather than issuing every payment on the same day. More than 70 million people rely on those monthly payments to help meet everyday expenses, including housing, groceries and healthcare.
When Will August Payments Be Sent?
The SSA’s calendar sets out the following payment dates for August 2026:
- July 31, 2026: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients are paid. This is one day earlier than usual because August 1 falls on a weekend.
- August 3, 2026: Beneficiaries who began receiving Social Security before May 1997, or who receive both Social Security and SSI, are paid.
- August 12, 2026: Payments for beneficiaries with birthdays between the 1st and 10th.
- August 19, 2026: Payments for beneficiaries with birthdays between the 11th and 20th.
- August 26, 2026: Payments for beneficiaries with birthdays between the 21st and 31st.
Although many beneficiaries receive their money according to their birth date, there are exceptions. People who started collecting Social Security before May 1997, along with those receiving both Social Security and SSI, are paid under a separate schedule.
Which Benefits Are Included?
The SSA oversees several benefit programs. Retirement benefits make up the largest share of payments and are available to eligible workers aged 62 and older who have paid Social Security taxes during their working years. Survivor benefits are paid to eligible family members of deceased workers, including spouses and children.
The agency also administers Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which provides financial support to people who are no longer able to work because of a qualifying disability and who have built up sufficient work credits.
SSI operates differently from those programs. Rather than being based on work history, it is a needs-based benefit for people who are aged, blind or disabled and have limited income and resources.
How Much Do Beneficiaries Receive?
There is no standard Social Security payment. Individual benefit amounts depend on several factors, including a person’s earnings record, the age at which they claimed benefits and the specific program under which they qualify.
The SSA’s latest statistical snapshot shows retired workers received an average monthly benefit of $2,084.40 in June 2026.
That figure reflects this year’s 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment, which increased benefits at the beginning of 2026. Another boost to benefits, also known as the COLA, will be announced in October this year and applied to benefits in January 2027.
While averages provide a useful guide, payments can differ substantially from one beneficiary to another because of differences in lifetime earnings and when you start claiming.
What Happens If Your Payment Is Missing?
Beneficiaries whose payment does not arrive on its scheduled date are advised not to contact the SSA immediately. Instead, the agency says to wait three additional mailing days before reporting a missing payment.
If the payment still has not arrived, recipients can sign in to their my Social Security account to review their payment status, benefit information and direct deposit details. Those without an account can create one using Login.gov or ID.me credentials.
The SSA also advises beneficiaries to contact the agency by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) during weekday business hours if the payment does not arrive.
Social Security’s Financial Outlook
As beneficiaries prepare for August payments, policymakers continue to grapple with the program’s long-term funding outlook.
A new analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) found that a typical newly retired dual-income couple could see their annual Social Security income fall by nearly $17,000 beginning in 2033 if Congress does not address the program’s funding shortfall.
The report examined what would happen if Social Security’s retirement trust fund is exhausted at the end of 2032. According to the program’s trustees, the fund is projected to become insolvent that year. Under current law, benefits would then have to be reduced by an estimated 22 percent so that payments do not exceed available revenue.
The CRFB said today’s 61-year-olds would be reaching normal retirement age around the time those reductions could take effect, making them among the first newly retired Americans to face the impact if Congress does not approve changes to the program before the trust fund is depleted.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Cristina Diciu.
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