Social Security Recipients Born in Early May Set to Receive Scheduled Payment

The next round of monthly Social Security benefits is scheduled for May 13, with payments going to recipients born during the first 10 days of any month under the SSA’s staggered distribution system.

Haika Mrema

Published: 5/11/2026, 11:28:55 PM EDT

Social Security Recipients Born in Early May Set to Receive Scheduled Payment — A Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Social Security Administration is preparing to send another round of monthly benefit payments, with eligible recipients scheduled to receive funds on May 13.

According to the agency’s official payment calendar, the May 13 distribution applies to beneficiaries who were born between the first and 10th day of any month and who began receiving Social Security benefits after May 1997.

The payment group includes retirees, disabled workers, and survivor beneficiaries enrolled in the program under the SSA’s standard staggered schedule.

Social Security payments are generally issued on Wednesdays throughout the month, with the distribution date tied to a recipient’s birth date. Under the system outlined by the SSA, beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th of the month are scheduled to receive payments on the third Wednesday of the month, which falls on May 20 this year. Those born between the 21st and 31st are expected to receive benefits on May 27.

Earlier payments for May have already been distributed to other groups of recipients. Supplemental Security Income recipients received their monthly payments on May 1, which was the first business day of the month. Meanwhile, beneficiaries who began collecting Social Security prior to May 1997, as well as individuals who receive both Social Security and SSI, were scheduled to receive Social Security payments on May 3.

According to the SSA, Social Security benefits are paid primarily to retired Americans, though the program also covers certain disabled workers and survivors of deceased workers. The agency reported that retirement benefits remain the largest category of monthly payments issued through the program.

The payment schedule comes as analysts project a larger annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2027. The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan advocacy organization focused on seniors, recently raised its estimate for next year’s COLA to 4 percent, citing continued inflation pressures tied to housing and energy costs. The projected increase would follow the 2.8 percent adjustment implemented for 2026.

The annual COLA impacts nearly 70 million Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income recipients. The adjustment is calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, commonly referred to as CPI-W.

At the same time, federal budget analysts continue to warn about the long-term financial outlook for the Social Security system. The Congressional Budget Office has projected a depletion of the program’s Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund by 2032. If the trust fund is exhausted, payroll tax revenue would still support ongoing payments, but beneficiaries could face reduced monthly benefits unless Congress acts to address the funding gap.