Today, we are going to talk about Social Security and its October schedule for retirees and beneficiaries. Social Security in the U.S. is the main source of income for millions of people, from retirees to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Every month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) organizes a payment schedule so that everybody receives their money with no incident.
In October of this year, this schedule has very clear dates, payment amounts, and one important detail: SSI beneficiaries will receive a double payment. So, if you want to know more about this, you’d better keep reading.
How monthly schedule works
The SSA sends the payments according to a calendar based on the birth date of each beneficiary. This way the payments are issued in different Wednesdays of every month:
- Birthdays from the 1st to the 10th: the payment will be done on the second Wednesday of the month.
- Birthdays from the 11th to the 20th: the payment will be received the third Wednesday of the month
- Birthdays from the 21st to the 31st: the payment will be on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
However, there are important exceptions about this schedule like: people who retired before May of 1997, and every SSI beneficiary will receive the payment the first day of the month, regardless of birthdays.
When the date is a weekend or holiday, the SSA adjusts the schedule and issues the payments the day before. So, some months they will receive two payments.
Payment amounts in 2025
On average, these are the amounts that beneficiaries will receive this year:
- Retired worker (individual): $1,976.
- Retired couple: $3,089.
- SSI individual: up to $967.
- SSI couple: up to $1,450.
These figures are used as reference for the schedule, since each payment depends on the type of benefit and the personal situation of the beneficiaries.
Adjustment for inflation
Another important point of the Social Security annual schedule is the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), which is announced in October of every year. This adjustment updates the benefits according to inflation.
In October of 2025, the SSA will announce the COLA for 2026. Regarding the estimates, the increase will be between 2.7% and 2.8% and it will mean a slight increment on the retirees’ checks and those who receive the SSI or the SSDI.
Payment schedule in October of 2025
The calendar for October is perfectly defined, so let’s have a look:
- Wednesday, October 1 → Payment for SSI recipients.
- Friday, October 3 → Payment for those who began benefits before May 1997.
- Wednesday, October 8 → Payment for birthdays between 1st and 10th.
- Wednesday, October 15 → Payment for birthdays between 11th and 20th.
- Wednesday, October 22 → Payment for birthdays between 21st and 31st.
- Friday, October 31 → Second payment for SSI recipients (November’s benefit, since November 1 falls on a weekend).
This means that SSI beneficiaries will have double payment in October: one at the beginning of the month (to cover October) and another at the end (to cover November).
What does this schedule mean for beneficiaries?
The SSA schedule allows millions of people to organize their monthly expenses ahead, so knowing the exact date they will receive the money helps them to:
- Plan monthly expenses such as rent, utilities, and groceries.
- Prepare for months with double payments like October.
- Anticipate annual increases thanks to the COLA.
So, now that you know the important things about this process, you know how you can financially plan your months if you are a beneficiary of the SSA. In case you want to have more information, we recommend you to visit the SSA official website