Who gets paid in September
Millions of Americans will receive Social Security payments this month. The Social Security Administration, which pays out every month, determines the day you get paid based on the day you first started receiving benefits or, in the case of the vast majority, your birthday.
For September 2025, the four official payment dates are September 3, 10, 17, and 24. Because September 1 is Labor Day, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients already got their September checks early, on August 29.
The Social Security payment schedule
The SSA’s pattern when it comes to making payments is simple:
- Before May 1997: If you began receiving benefits before this date, your payment always arrives on the third of the month.
- After May 1997: Your payday is calculated by your birthday.
- Birthdays 1st to 10th: second Wednesday of the month (September 10).
- Birthdays 11th to 20th: third Wednesday of the month (September 17).
- Birthdays 21st to the end of the month: the fourth Wednesday of the month (September 24).
SSI recipients usually receive their checks on the first day of every month. If it is a federal holiday or a weekend, they receive them on the previous working day. That is why September SSI benefits were paid out on August 29.
Who received their payments on September 3?
American citizens who started getting their benefits before May 1997 were the first to see their September payments. They received their checks on September 3, 2025.
These are long-retired employees, disabled workers, and widows or widowers who have relied on Social Security payments for decades. Depending on employment history and age at retirement, these beneficiaries can earn up to $5,108 a month, the highest paid by the SSA formula.
When the SSI checks arrived
Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries, which include those who have very little income and are blind, elderly, or disabled, have already been paid for September. Due to the fact that September 1 was a federal holiday, the payments were made earlier, on August 29, 2025.
What to do if a payment is missing
Most payments are made timely, especially for direct deposit participants. If your Social Security payment fails to show up on time, however, the SSA suggests that you do something on your part.
First, call your bank and see if the money arrived but hasn’t been posted yet. If the payment was completely lost, you’ll have to call your local Social Security office or simply dial the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778).
Thus, to avoid delays in the future, the SSA requests beneficiaries to enroll for direct deposit, whereby the money is transferred electronically to your account on the same payment date.
Why these payments are important
More than 70 million Americans live on Social Security benefits every month. The recipients include retirees, surviving spouses and children, and disabled workers. To most, they are not supplemental income but a lifeline upon which they depend to purchase necessities such as housing, food, and medicine.
The payments are especially valuable in this economy, since inflation has pushed the price of staples upwards. The yearly cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that was applied to benefits earlier in the year makes payments rise with inflation, giving recipients a little cushioning from rising costs.
The bottom line
Social Security is still one of America’s most essential programs, providing security to millions of families. Checks of as much as $5,108 will be mailed out in September on September 3, 10, 17, and 24, with millions due to receive their badly needed benefits.
No matter if you are a retiree, a widow, or someone with a disability, the schedule of payments provides stability—and for many families, the sight of a Social Security check is a reminder of how much a part of everyday life the program has become.
Read later:
COLA forecast may push 2026 average Social Security check to $2,062
