Millions of Americans are scheduled to receive their monthly Social Security payments this week, with some beneficiaries collecting amounts slightly exceeding $5,000. The system, which includes retirement, survivor, and disability benefits, plays a pivotal role in the financial stability of over 70 million individuals across the United States.
According to Newsweek, these distributions follow a regular schedule set by the Social Security Administration and reflect the long-term design of the program to provide consistent income support. While this week’s payments continue as expected, the broader structure of Social Security remains largely unchanged, offering few surprises for recipients this month.
Distribution Schedule Based on Birth Dates
The Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes benefit payments based on recipients’ birth dates. For the week of May 21, individuals born between the 11th and 20th of any month will receive their retirement, spousal, or survivor benefits on Wednesday.
Those who also qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and receive both payments are not included in this cycle, as SSI benefits were already issued earlier in May. The SSA recommends waiting three business days past the scheduled payment date before contacting the agency about a missing deposit.
Breakdown of Benefit Amounts
As of January 2025, the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit is $1,976. However, actual payment amounts depend on several factors, most notably the age at which benefits are claimed and a person’s lifetime earnings:
- Age 62: up to $2,831 per month
- Full retirement age (67): up to $4,018 per month
- Age 70: up to $5,108 per month
Some individuals this week will receive a little over $5,000, the maximum allowable monthly benefit for those who delayed retirement to age 70 and contributed at higher income levels throughout their careers.
For those receiving SSI, the maximum monthly benefit in 2025 is $967 for individuals and $1,450 for couples. Actual payments may be lower depending on income, living arrangements, and other eligibility factors.
Cost-Of-Living Adjustment Outlook for 2026
Social Security benefits include a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that raises monthly payments to help keep pace with inflation. For 2025, the COLA increased payments by 2.5 percent. The COLA for 2026 is currently forecast at 2.4 percent by the Senior Citizens League (TSCL) and independent policy analyst Mary Johnson.
This slight reduction reflects expectations of economic stabilization, a point echoed by financial experts.
While a COLA decrease may be viewed by some retirees as a bad thing, it’s actually a good one for the overall future economic outlook – said Alex Beene, financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
The stabilization of COLA indicates that the pricing pressures of inflation are finally starting to subside. While seniors are undoubtedly still having to do more dollar counting than a few years ago, not having to dramatically increase beneficiary spending shows prices are stabilizing, even if they’re still higher than they were five years ago.
The official COLA for 2026 will be announced by the SSA in October 2025.
Upcoming May 2025 Payment Dates
For those still awaiting their check, the SSA has two more rounds of payments scheduled for this month:
- Wednesday, May 28: For recipients born between the 21st and 31st
- Friday, May 30: SSI payments for June, which are being issued earlier than usual because the regular date falls on a weekend
These scheduled disbursements are designed to ensure consistent delivery for millions of beneficiaries who rely on timely Social Security support to cover their living expenses.
