Social Security is paid out every month to millions of recipients across the U.S. as part of the nation’s largest social insurance and welfare program.
Payments are made to retired individuals aged 65 and over, qualifying disabled people and survivors of deceased claimants. Due to the several different types of payments and billions of dollars involved, not every claimant is paid on the same date each month.
When a claimant is paid is determined by a number of different factors, including the type of benefit, date of birth, and whether they reside in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Also known as the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, the tax-funded benefits provide money for those who may otherwise financially struggle to make ends meet.
Payments are issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
GETTY
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is an additional payment that is offered to some claimants including the elderly, blind, and disabled individuals with minimal income and assets. Often, these payments are intended to boost the income of retirees whose OASDI payments may fall short of providing for basic needs.
Each Social Security program pays recipients every month, regardless of why they claim. How much an individual can receive depends on a variety of factors; for example, for those earning a pension, it is largely based on their past or current earnings.
When will my Social Security be paid?
April 1
All SSI payments will be made on April 1 this month, as well as Social Security payments for those who have been claiming since before May 1997. The April 1 payment date also applies to those who claim Social Security but live abroad.
For those that receive both SSI and Social Security benefits, payments will be made on April 1 and 3 respectively.
April 10
Those with birthdays that fall between the first and 10th of their birth month will receive their payment on Wednesday, April 10.
April 17
Those claimants who have a birthday between 11th and 20th will receive their monthly amount on April 17.
April 24
Anyone born between the 21st and 31st of any month will have their benefits paid on April 24.
ALL DATES HERE
How much Social Security an individual gets increases every year using the Cost of Living Adjustment rule, which is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers. It raises the amount received each year in line with inflation.
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced a new proposal, the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, that would increase the amount by which SSA payments go up every year and would be tied to the CPI-E—the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly—which includes calculations for rising costs of health care that can impact seniors more than other Americans.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.