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Millions of Americans who receive benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA) are set to receive payments this week, with two different types of benefits scheduled to arrive as September begins.
The payment calendar is particularly important at the start of a new month because Supplemental Security Income (SSI) follows a different schedule from most Social Security retirement and other benefits. The SSA’s official 2026 payment calendar confirms that SSI is generally issued on the first day of the month, while Social Security payments are distributed according to a beneficiary’s eligibility and payment group.
SSI payments arrive first
The first major payment this week is the September SSI benefit. SSI is designed to provide monthly assistance to people with limited income and resources who are aged, blind or disabled.
Under the federal schedule, SSI payments are normally issued on the first day of each month. If that date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the payment is generally moved to the preceding business day.
For September 2026, September 1 falls on a Tuesday, so there is no need to move the payment date. Eligible SSI recipients can therefore expect their monthly benefit at the beginning of the month.
The maximum federal SSI payment in 2026 is $994 per month for an eligible individual, while the maximum for an eligible couple is $1,491. Some recipients may receive different amounts depending on their income, living arrangements and other factors, and some states provide additional payments.
Another group of Social Security beneficiaries is also paid
The second payment involves certain people receiving Social Security retirement, survivor or spousal benefits.
The SSA does not send every Social Security payment on the same day. Instead, the regular schedule generally divides beneficiaries according to their date of birth. People born from the 1st through the 10th typically receive payments on the second Wednesday of the month, those born from the 11th through the 20th receive them on the third Wednesday, and those born from the 21st through the 31st receive them on the fourth Wednesday.
There is an important exception for people who began receiving Social Security before May 1997, as well as some beneficiaries who receive both Social Security and SSI. Under the SSA’s calendar, those recipients can have their Social Security payment issued on the third day of the month, while SSI is paid on the first.
This means beneficiaries should not assume that everyone receiving Social Security will receive a payment during the same week. The exact date depends on the type of benefit and the person’s payment group.
How much will beneficiaries receive?
There is no single payment amount for Social Security recipients. Retirement benefits are based largely on a person’s lifetime earnings and the age at which they claimed benefits, while survivor and spousal benefits are calculated under different rules.
For 2026, the SSA says Social Security benefits received a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The agency estimates the average monthly benefit for retired workers at approximately $2,085.98, based on its July 2026 statistical snapshot, although individual payments can be substantially higher or lower.
SSI, meanwhile, has its own federal maximums and eligibility rules. Receiving one type of benefit does not automatically mean a person qualifies for the other.