Social Security Payment Schedule 2027: Every Date by Birthday

In 2027, most Social Security payments arrive on a Wednesday chosen by your birthday: the second Wednesday if you were born on the 1st to 10th, the third Wednesday for the 11th to 20th, and the fourth Wednesday for the 21st to 31st. A smaller group is paid on the 3rd of each month, and SSI is paid on the 1st, moved earlier when that date falls on a weekend or holiday. The full month-by-month calendar is below.

How your payment date is set

For anyone who started benefits in May 1997 or later, the payment day depends on the day of the month you were born:

For example, someone born on March 7 is paid on the second Wednesday; someone born on August 15 on the third Wednesday; and someone born on November 28 on the fourth Wednesday.

If you receive benefits on a spouse's or former spouse's work record, the date follows the birthday of the worker whose record you are paid on, not your own. A wife born on the 25th who receives a spousal benefit on her husband's record, and whose husband was born on the 4th, would generally be paid on the second Wednesday.

Who is paid on the 3rd

Two groups receive their Social Security on the 3rd of each month instead of a Wednesday:

• People who started receiving benefits before May 1997
• People who receive both Social Security and SSI

When the 3rd falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the payment moves to the business day before.

When SSI is paid

Supplemental Security Income is paid on the 1st of the month. When the 1st is a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, the payment is sent on the prior business day. That simple rule is what creates the "missing" and "double" SSI months described below.

The full 2027 payment calendar

This table lists every regular payment date for 2027, based on Social Security's published schedule. Find the column that matches your situation and read down the year.

Note that the January 2028 SSI payment will be sent on December 30, 2027, because January 1, 2028 is a holiday.

Months that look unusual

A few dates in the calendar can be confusing, so it helps to look at them one by one.

January: payments start in December

January 1, 2027 is New Year's Day, a federal holiday. SSI for January therefore goes out on Thursday, December 31, 2026. The 3rd-of-month group is paid that same day. Their regular January date, the 3rd, falls on a Sunday, and the payment moves back past the holiday on Friday, January 1, to the last business day of 2026.

Those December 31 deposits are the first payments that include the 2027 cost-of-living increase of 3.6%. For everyone paid on a Wednesday, the raise first appears on January 13, 20 or 27. Our guide to the 2027 COLA shows what that increase means in dollars.

SSI's "double" and "missing" months

Because SSI moves earlier whenever the 1st is not a business day, three SSI payments in 2027 are sent at the end of the previous month:

• The January payment arrives December 31, 2026, so there is no SSI deposit in January.
• The May payment arrives April 30, so April has two deposits (April 1 and April 30) and May has none.
• The August payment arrives July 30, so July has two deposits (July 1 and July 30) and August has none.
• The January 2028 payment arrives December 30, 2027, so December has two deposits (December 1 and December 30).

This is not a bonus. The second deposit is next month's money arriving early, so set it aside for the following month. You still receive exactly twelve SSI payments for the year. Our page on 2027 SSI payment amounts explains how much each deposit should be.

3rd-of-month dates that move

In 2027, the 3rd of the month falls on a weekend in April and July. April 3 is a Saturday, so that payment goes out Friday, April 2. July 3 is a Saturday as well, so it moves to Friday, July 2. In October, the 3rd is a Sunday, so that payment moves back to the prior business day, Friday, October 1, the same day as October's SSI. In May, the 3rd is a Monday, so the payment is made on the date itself.

A worked example for a household

Consider a married couple. The husband was born on June 6 and draws his own retirement benefit. The wife was born on September 19 and also draws her own benefit, based on her own work record.

• The husband is paid on the second Wednesday: in March 2027, that is March 10.
• The wife is paid on the third Wednesday: in March 2027, that is March 17.

Suppose his benefit is $2,000 and hers is $1,500 after the 2027 COLA. In March they would receive $2,000 on the 10th and $1,500 on the 17th, for $3,500 in all.

If the wife instead received a spousal benefit on her husband's record, both of their payments would follow his birthday. The spousal benefits guide covers how that benefit is figured.

What to do if your payment does not arrive

Deposits occasionally run late because of bank processing. A sensible order of steps:

1. Check the calendar above to confirm the correct date, including any weekend or holiday shift.
2. Confirm with your bank that nothing is pending.
3. Allow a few business days after the scheduled date, since deposits can be delayed briefly in processing.
4. Then contact Social Security by phone, at a local office, or through your my Social Security account.

Keep in mind that the amount you receive can also change during the year. If you work while collecting before full retirement age, the earnings test may hold back some payments. See our 2027 earnings limit guide for the details.

Can you change your payment date?

In general, no. Your payment date is set by the birthday rule (or by the 3rd-of-month rule) and stays the same for as long as you receive benefits. What you can do is ask creditors or utility companies to move due dates a few days after your deposit.

If you are just starting benefits, remember that Social Security pays one month behind. The payment you receive in a given month is for the previous month. Someone whose benefit begins in March, for example, typically sees the first deposit in April. If you are still deciding when to start, our break-even guide to claiming at 62, 67 or 70 can help.

This guide is for general education and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules and amounts can change; confirm details with the Social Security Administration, the IRS or Medicare. Spotted an error? Let us know.