By Aliss HighamShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAnother round of Social Security benefits for November will be paid out this week.
Why It Matters
About 70 million Americans depend on the Social Security Administration (SSA) for a monthly income, including retirees and people with disabilities. Given the scale of the program, the agency issues payments in staggered waves each month instead of all on one day.
What To Know
For most beneficiaries, payment dates are tied to their day of birth. But some groups follow different schedules. Those who started receiving retirement, spousal, or survivor benefits before May 1997—or who also get Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—are paid on separate dates. SSI offers monthly assistance to seniors with limited means as well as to people who are blind or have disabilities.
This week on Wednesday, November 26, benefits for those with birthdays between the 21st and 31st of any given month will be paid out.
In December, payments will be issued as follows:
- Monday, December 1: Supplemental Security Income payments
- Wednesday, December 3: Social Security payments for those who also receive SSI.
- Wednesday, December 10: Payments for people born between the 1st and 10th of any month.
- Wednesday, December 17: Payments for those born between the 11th and 20th.
- Wednesday, December 24: Payments for those with birthdays between the 21st and 31st.
If you haven’t received your payment by the expected date, you should allow up to three working days before contacting the SSA.
...How Much Is Social Security?
Benefit amounts depend on a person’s lifetime earnings and the age at which they start collecting. Someone who files at 62—the earliest age allowed—can receive up to $2,831 a month. Waiting until full retirement age, currently 67, raises the maximum to $4,018, while the highest possible benefit of $5,108 per month is reserved for those who delay claiming until age 70.
As of August 2025, retired workers received an average monthly benefit of $2,008.31.
2026 COLA
As we enter the final stretch of 2025, Social Security recipients will be looking forward to the annual benefit boost.
The SSA confirmed in October that all beneficiaries will receive a 2.8 percent boost to their benefits next year, known as the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA). That increase amounts to an estimated $56 more per month for the average retiree receiving Social Security.
SSA commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in a statement: "Social Security is a promise kept, and the annual cost-of-living adjustment is one way we are working to make sure benefits reflect today’s economic realities and continue to provide a foundation of security. The cost-of-living adjustment is a vital part of how Social Security delivers on its mission."
The 2026 COLA covers every SSA program—including retirement, spousal, survivor, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—and the higher payments will begin in January 2026.
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