No Social Security payment this week? Here’s why no Americans received a check
Barely a week goes by throughout the year when Social Security doesn’t make a payment to beneficiaries. This week will be one of those exceptional cases.
The Social Security Administration is not only tasked with keeping records of all the contributions Americans make through their payroll taxes but also doling out benefits to nearly 74 million beneficiaries. These include retired workers, their spouses and survivors as well as disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Barely a week goes by throughout the year when the SSA doesn’t make a payment to one of these groups of beneficiaries. However, this week will be one of those exceptional occasions.
There isn’t any problem with the SSA, but instead it all comes down to how the agency organizes the payments. Three groups have already received their benefits for the month of May, SSI, those who began claiming benefits before May 1997 and beneficiaries who receive both Social Security and SSI.
All other Social Security beneficiaries are paid on a specific Wednesday of the month depending on their date of birth. As those payments go out on the second, third and fourth Wednesday of each month, and this Wednesday is the first, there are no payments. But payments will continue to be disbursed as scheduled starting next week.
Who receives Social Security benefits on Wednesday, May 14?
Of the 69.4 million recipients of retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or survivor pay in the U.S., many get their money on one of three Wednesdays each month, with their payment date determined by their birthday.
On Wednesday, May 14, the SSA is scheduled to distribute retirement, SSDI and survivor benefits to recipients born between the first and the 10th of each month.
This staggered payment system then continues on the following two Wednesdays in May, as is outlined in the table below:
May's Wednesday payment schedule:
- Weds., May 14: recipients born on 1st to 10th
- Weds., May 21: recipients born on 11th to 20th
- Weds., May 28: recipients born on 21st to 31st
Who gets Social Security checks outside the three-Wednesdays system?
Beneficiaries who started receiving retirement, SSDI or survivor benefits before May 1997 are typically issued their check on the third of the month, regardless of their birthday.
What’s more, recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - a benefit for low-income Americans who are over 65 or have a disability - are normally paid on the first.
If you receive both SSI and retirement, SSDI or survivor benefits, you generally get the former on the first and the latter on the third.
However: As May 3 was a Saturday, long-term and dual beneficiaries were this month paid their retirement, SSDI and survivor benefits on the nearest working day before then: Friday 2nd.
You can take a look at the SSA’s full payment calendar for 2025 on the agency’s website.
How much Social Security do retired workers get in the U.S.?
Retired workers - who account for more than 70% of the 73.9 million Americans on Social Security and SSI checks - are paid just under $2,000 a month on average.
To be precise, the average monthly retirement check currently stands at $1,999.97, according to figures shared by the SSA this month.
How much money do other SSA beneficiaries receive?
Disabled workers get an average of $1,581.88 per month, per the SSA, and recipients of survivor benefits are paid an average of $1,565.52 each month. The SSI scheme provides monthly checks for $717.87 on average.
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