Nearly 7.4 million Social Security beneficiaries will notice a shift in their payment schedule in May due to a quirk in the calendar, causing some benefits to be paid later than other months.
The delay is due to the fact that May 1 fell on a Thursday. Usually, Social Security payments are issued on Wednesdays. The first Wednesday of May was the 7th, pushing the second Wednesday payment date to May 14th. Other benefits will follow on the 21st and 28th, according to the Social Security Administration’s calendar.
Meanwhile, recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which provides payments to those with limited income and resources who are over 65 years old, blind or have a disability, will experience a different impact from the May calendar.
Usually SSI is paid on the first of the month. While the May 1 payment has already been distributed, the June 1 payment will be dispersed earlier on May 30 because June 1 falls on a Sunday. This results in SSI recipients reconvening two payments in May and none in June.
Those who began receiving Social Security before May 1997 or individuals receiving both Social Security and SSI will continue to receive their payments on the third and first of the month.