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October Social Security payment schedule: Here’s when beneficiaries will get their checks

By Kelly Hayes
Published  October 1, 2024 7:42am EDT
Money
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How are Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLA) calculated?

The adjustments are based on data relating to inflation.

The Brief

    • Social Security retirement, disability, and survivor beneficiaries who filed claims after May 1, 1997, are generally paid on either the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month.
    • SSA beneficiaries who started getting benefits before May 1997 should get their payment on Oct. 3, 2024.
    • SSI beneficiaries get paid on the 1st of the month. 

WASHINGTON - It’s officially October, and the calendar turning over to a new month means a new round of Social Security payments for those who benefit.

The Social Security Administration sends regular monthly payments (SSA benefits), but the date varies – generally depending on the day you were born. Social Security retirement, disability, and survivor (RSDI) beneficiaries who filed claims after May 1, 1997, are assigned either the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month.

Those who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is monthly payments for people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources, get paid on the 1st of the month. 

If the 1st falls on the weekend, as was the case for September, then the payments are issued on the Friday before the 1st (Aug. 30, 2024).

Those who received benefits before May 1997 also have a specific payment date.

Here are the dates beneficiaries can expect their monthly payments in October:

Social Security payment schedule for October 2024

FILE - Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility Feb. 11, 2005, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

  • SSA beneficiaries who started getting benefits before May 1997: Oct. 3
  • Birthday between the 1st and 10th of the month: Oct. 9 (Second Wednesday of the month)
  • Birthday between the 11th and 20th of the month: Oct. 16 (Third Wednesday of the month
  • Birthday between the 21st and 31st of the month: Oct. 23 (Fourth Wednesday of the month)

How to report a missing Social Security payment

Those who do not receive their electronic payment on the scheduled date should contact their bank or financial institution first, according to the Social Security Administration – which notes that it "may be experiencing a delay in posting your payment."

Those who still need to report a late, missing, or stolen Social Security payment should call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact their local Social Security office. 

"We will review the case and if the payment is due, we will replace it," the administration says on its website.

The Source

  • This story was reported based on information from the Social Security Administration’s website, specific to SSI (Supplemental Security Income) Benefits and RSDI (Retirement, Survivors and Disability) – also referred to as SSA Benefits. The story was reported from Cincinnati.