Millions of American citizens depend each month on the payments issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA), from buying medicine to paying rent and buying food, but the most important thing is not that, the most important thing is to pay attention to the dates and changes that can occur in the payment schedule, but we are already here to explain the most important dates that will take place this month of May.
New month, new round of payments
Each month the payments restart, and May comes with some changes that will make many users see a small increase in them, and beyond the rumours going around that Donald Trump wants to end these payments, the payments for May are already here.
When do the payments begin?
Each payment has a set date, and as you already know, if the payment falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or national holiday, it will be moved up one day so it doesn’t suffer delays.
What are the main SSA programs?
Here’s a quick breakdown:
- SSA: retirement pension, people without resources, disabled or widowed.
- SSI: retirees or people with disabilities
- SSDI: people with temporary disability who have a work history
- SNAP: food credits
SSA in May:
They are received depending on your birth date, and especially if you started collecting after May 1997, payments are divided into the following dates:
- May 14: if you were born between the 1st and 10th of the month
- May 21: if your birthday falls between the 11th and 20th
- May 28: if you were born from the 21st onward
But if you started receiving your check before May 1997, then the payment will arrive on May 3 (unless that day falls on a weekend or holiday, in which case it will arrive the previous business day).
SSI in May: two checks… but be careful
Here comes what might seem like good news, but can also lead to confusion. If you receive SSI, this month you will get two payments:
- May 1: the regular payment for May
- May 30: the early payment for June, since June 1 falls on a weekend
What’s the problem? That in June you won’t receive anything. So be careful not to spend it all in May thinking it’s a bonus. It’s simply a calendar adjustment.
Are there more changes in the calendar?
As we said, all changes are noted in the official calendar, but there will be more changes:
- August 29 (Friday) you will receive the September payments
- October 31 you will receive the payments for November
- The same will happen on December 31, when you will receive the first check of 2026.
Do you qualify for SSI? These are the requirements
SSI is intended for people with low income, and not everyone can access it. These are the basic criteria:
- Be 65 years old or older
- Be blind or have a disability
- Have monthly income below $2,019
- In the case of children with a disability, they can also receive help, but the whole family’s income is taken into account.
Didn’t receive your check? This is what you should do
If your payment doesn’t appear when it’s supposed to, first check that your bank information or mailing address is correct. If everything is fine and you still don’t receive it, call the SSA office directly. Sometimes it’s a simple error or a problem with the mail. But the sooner you check it, the better. And enjoy your May payment!