Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
Support MFO
Donate through PayPal
Changes to Social Security Payment Schedule Will Affect Millions in May
I checked this before my May check and it still gave the same deposit date. Now it gives June's deposit date and there is no change. For some unknown reason, I get mine on the 3rd but have never found that I fit the categories given to get it on this odd date. But, I just checked again and the next date given is June 3, no change due to B'day. After I saw no change in May and no screams on the Internet, I decided it was bad information but I don't know.
Edit: I logged in again because I saw a choice to link to "View benefit payment schedule". When I clicked on it, I got a choice to
View your benefit payment schedule The date you get your benefits every month depends on your birthday and the type of benefits you get. View the timing for your upcoming and past payments.
I clicked the "View schedule button in this box and the desired page showed briefly in the address bar but redirected back to the dashboard. I tried to get the page several times with the same result. So the website no longer will show my payment schedule for anything other than June which is shown on the dashboard.
Nothing significant on last direct deposit May 14. Of curiosity, the bank robo was still depicting the transfer as “pending” on the due date rather than deposited as in the past. However, 100% was available to me. I wondered at the time if I’d perhaps detected some small change in the govt.’s methodology.
Thanks @Mark. It helps to know how our SS money is handled.
It's clear that info in the OP link isn't correct. SSA website publishes SSA payment calendar on the 1st of the prior year, and there hasn't been any changes to that (2024, 2025, 2026 calendars). https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/calendar.htm
Then, I searched the web for what could cause the confusion and here is what I found:
1. SSA payments are on 2nd, 3rd, 4th Wednesdays of the month. But the 2nd Wednesday in May 2025 is farther out (14th) than the typical 2nd Wednesday. So, people may feel that SSA payments are delayed, but are not.
2. Some get SSA and SSI, so 2 checks in a month. But SSI calendar makes 2 payments in May 2025, none in June 2025. So, some people may get 3 SSA checks in May 2025, only 1 in June 2025.
So, those are the details of why May 2025 is in the news, but details sometimes get lost in headlines. Be aware that authors don't write final headlines, editors do.
@YBB - So I just re-read the "OP Link" and can't see what info isn't correct. Please help if you can because I try to be very particular about links I provide to the discussion board.
I would agree that the 'title' of the article may confuse some.
"Starting this May, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is updating its payment schedule, and millions of Americans are going to notice the difference..."
There is no change by SSA - the schedule is similar for 2024, 2025, 2026. The same DOB based schedule for 2nd, 3rd, 4th Wednesday applies.
That's early access (1-2 days) to direct deposits by your bank or credit union. Not all banks do this. For SSA payments, my wife has gotten them early for several months (on Mondays instead of Wednesdays).
My bank doesn't do this. So, I "inquired" about it's early-access program (that I know it doesn't have) - that's really was a hidden complaint.
Comments
dSeniors may be in for a surprise !
No shit.
Edit: I logged in again because I saw a choice to link to "View benefit payment schedule". When I clicked on it, I got a choice to I clicked the "View schedule button in this box and the desired page showed briefly in the address bar but redirected back to the dashboard. I tried to get the page several times with the same result. So the website no longer will show my payment schedule for anything other than June which is shown on the dashboard.
Thanks @Mark. It helps to know how our SS money is handled.
https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/calendar.htm
Then, I searched the web for what could cause the confusion and here is what I found:
1. SSA payments are on 2nd, 3rd, 4th Wednesdays of the month. But the 2nd Wednesday in May 2025 is farther out (14th) than the typical 2nd Wednesday. So, people may feel that SSA payments are delayed, but are not.
2. Some get SSA and SSI, so 2 checks in a month. But SSI calendar makes 2 payments in May 2025, none in June 2025. So, some people may get 3 SSA checks in May 2025, only 1 in June 2025.
So, those are the details of why May 2025 is in the news, but details sometimes get lost in headlines. Be aware that authors don't write final headlines, editors do.
I would agree that the 'title' of the article may confuse some.
"Starting this May, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is updating its payment schedule, and millions of Americans are going to notice the difference..."
There is no change by SSA - the schedule is similar for 2024, 2025, 2026. The same DOB based schedule for 2nd, 3rd, 4th Wednesday applies.
My bank doesn't do this. So, I "inquired" about it's early-access program (that I know it doesn't have) - that's really was a hidden complaint.