Social Security payments follow a regular schedule in October.
Most retirement benefits arrive on Wednesdays. If your birthday falls between the first and 10th of the month, your payment is scheduled for the second Wednesday — Oct. 14 — according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Only once more this year, on Jan. 14, do the first payments arrive this late in the month.
If you were born between the 11th and 20th, you get paid on the third Wednesday, Oct. 21. Those born after the 20th are paid on the fourth Wednesday, Oct. 28. Social Security recipients who began receiving benefits before May 1997 are scheduled to be paid Oct. 3.
Social Security Payment Dates for October 2026
The check arriving in October is technically your September retirement benefit; your October benefit arrives the following month, according to the SSA. Here is the October schedule:
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: Birth dates from the 1st through the 10th
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: Birth dates from the 11th through the 20th
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: Birth dates from the 21st through the 31st
SSI Payment Dates for October
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), also administered by the SSA, serves people with limited income or resources who are 65 or older, blind or have a qualifying disability. Children with a disability may also qualify, according to the SSA.
SSI recipients are typically paid on the first business day of the month. In October, that is Thursday, Oct. 1. Some recipients will also receive a payment Friday, Oct. 30, because Nov. 1 falls on a weekend. That early deposit is the November payment, not an extra benefit.
The SSA also lists Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Dec. 31, as SSI payment dates later in 2026.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY.
Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.
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