Millions to Receive Social Security Payments This Week: What to Know

The date falls on the second Wednesday of April—consistent with how the SSA structures its monthly disbursements based on recipients' birthdates.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 4/7/2026, 3:26:03 AM EDT

Millions to Receive Social Security Payments This Week: What to Know — Blank U.S. Treasury checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia on July 18, 2011. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Tens of millions of Americans who rely on Social Security will see their first April payments land in their bank accounts this Wednesday, as the federal government rolls out benefits on its regular schedule.

Wednesday, April 8, is the payment date for beneficiaries born between the 1st and the 10th of any month, according to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) 2026 payment calendar. The date falls on the second Wednesday of April—consistent with how the SSA structures its monthly disbursements based on recipients' birthdates.

The payment schedule works as follows: those born between the 11th and 20th of the month receive their checks on the third Wednesday, and those born between the 21st and the 31st are paid on the fourth Wednesday. For Americans who began collecting Social Security before May 1997, payments arrive on the third day of each month, unless that date lands on a weekend or holiday.

There is also a separate rule for those who collect both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. Those dual recipients receive their Social Security payment on the third of the month and their SSI on the first.

What Recipients Can Expect in 2026

The April payments come under a new benefits structure that took effect in January. A 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, boosted the average monthly Social Security payment from $2,015 to $2,071—a $56 increase for the typical recipient.

But not all of that increase may reach beneficiaries' wallets. Medicare Part B premiums—which cover doctor visits and outpatient care—climbed to $202.90 per month in 2026, a jump of $17.90 from the prior year. For many seniors enrolled in Medicare, those higher premiums are deducted directly from their Social Security checks, potentially wiping out most of the COLA gain.

At the top end of the pay scale, high income earners who spent decades paying taxes at the maximum taxable income level and delayed claiming benefits until age 70 are now eligible for up to $5,251 per month—a record high, up from $5,108 in 2025.

Full Retirement Age Now Locked at 67

Another major change taking full effect this year involves retirement age. For anyone born in 1960 or later, the full retirement age—the point at which recipients qualify for 100 percent of their benefits—is now 67. The change is the final step of legislation passed in the 1980s that gradually raised the retirement age from 65, driven by concerns over the program's long-term financial solvency.

Retiring early remains an option, but it carries a steeper cost in 2026. Anyone who turns 62 this year and immediately claims benefits will receive 30 percent less per check than if they had waited until full retirement age. The maximum monthly payout for a 62-year-old claimant—for those with 35 years of maximum earnings—has hit a record $2,969.

SSI Payments for the Rest of 2026

Supplemental Security Income, a separate program serving people with limited income or resources, those 65 or older, and blind or disabled individuals—including children—is paid on the first business day of each month. The April SSI payment was distributed on April 1.

Upcoming SSI payment dates for the remainder of the year, according to the SSA's 2026 calendar, are: May 1, June 1, July 1, July 31 (for August), Sept. 1, Oct. 1, Oct. 30 (for November), Dec. 1, and Dec. 31—the last serving as the January 2027 payment, issued early due to the New Year's holiday.