Millions of Americans are waiting to receive their Social Security checks this month. More than 70 million people rely on payments to support themselves financially, whether they are retired or disabled.
In the upcoming week, the administration will release the last of the payments to those who qualify. Several people will receive their payments on May 21 (Wednesday). Apart from the retirement payments, these will include payments for disability insurance and survivor benefits.
The payment schedule usually varies for the receivers. The Social Security Administration’s designated day is set to be Wednesdays of each week. The schedule depends on the date of birth of the receiver. This makes it easy to segregate the payments and send them in cycles.
Therefore, those who are born between May 11 and 20 will be receiving their checks by Wednesday, May 21. The next set of people born between the 21st and 31st of each month will get it on May 28. Similarly, those born between 1 and 10 of each month received their payments on May 14. With the same logic, you can calculate the future payments too.
There are also some different schedules to ensure those on other payment claims can receive the payments. Anyone who gets the benefits at survivor checks, SSDI, and retirements claimed before May 1997 will get the payments on the 3rd of every month. Their payments will not depend on their date of birth.
Social Security payments are often delayed in May due to a quirk in the payment schedule where the first Wednesday of the month falls later than other months. Most recipients will see their checks arrive on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on their…
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If someone has enrolled in the low-income plan called Supplemental Security Income scheme (SSI), they’ll receive the benefits on the first day of each month. This program applies to people with disabilities or those who are above 65 years of age.
Moreover, those who have both SSA retirement or SSDI benefits and SSI will receive two payments at the beginning and end of the month. To know more, SSA also has information on its agency calendar.
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Now, coming to the monthly payments, many people assume they are enough to get by, and they don’t need to save enough before retirement. However, the checks are only to suffice the basic needs. The average checks are $2,000/month. Only a few people receive $5,108 in their bank accounts, being the highest payment yet. The disabled people get almost $1,600/month. Those who are in the SSI program receive only $717.87 average per month, as per SSA.
The difference in the number of checks depends on various factors. The current income and the age at which you apply for retirement dictate the amount of your social security checks. If you apply too soon, your checks will be smaller. Besides, the highest years of work history at 35 will get you more in payments. Those who apply too soon only qualify to receive less. However, if you wait till 70, your monthly payments will be bigger.
