Millions of Americans are scheduled to see their Social Security payments arrive this week.
Why It Matters
Each month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes benefits to more than 74 million people, including retirees, disabled workers and surviving family members. Because of the sheer scale, payments are issued in waves throughout the month, typically based on the recipient’s date of birth.
What To Know
The next round of payments comes on September 17 for individuals with birthdays falling between the 11th and 20th of any month.
If a deposit doesn’t appear on the scheduled date, recipients are advised to wait three business days before contacting the SSA. Weekends and federal holidays are not counted as business days.
How Much Is Social Security?
The exact payment each beneficiary receives is based on their lifetime earnings and the number of years they paid into the system through payroll taxes.
As of January 2025, the average Social Security retirement benefit is about $2,006.69 per month. The maximum benefit depends on when the recipient retires: up to $2,831 per month if they claim at age 62, up to $4,018 per month if they wait until full retirement age at 67, and up to $5,108 per month if they delay benefits until age 70.
When Will the 2026 COLA Be Announced?
Next month, beneficiaries are expected to learn the official cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026. This increase is meant to keep benefits aligned with inflation and preserve purchasing power.
Advocacy group the Senior Citizens League estimates a 2.7 percent boost in benefits.
“Seniors across America are holding their breath as we wait for the official COLA announcement in October,” TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton said in a statement. “Our research shows that about 39 percent of seniors depend on their benefits for all their income, so the COLA announcement has a direct effect on their quality of life.”
The COLA is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Each year, the SSA compares third-quarter CPI-W data with the same period from the previous year. If prices rise, benefits are adjusted accordingly, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.
Annual adjustments vary from year to year. In 2025, the increase was 2.5 percent; in 2024, it was 3.2 percent; and in 2023, benefits jumped 8.7 percent because of high inflation. In rare cases, no COLA is applied, as in 2009, 2010 and 2015.