Born Mid-Month? Your Social Security Check Is Coming This Wednesday

The original story by Fernando Cervantes Jr. for USA Today.

The second round of Social Security payments for November is on the way this week, just as the countdown begins to next year’s cost-of-living adjustment kicking in.

Most beneficiaries are now getting their money through direct deposit or a Direct Express debit card, after the federal government phased out paper checks following an executive order from President Donald Trump earlier this year. The deadline to switch was Sept. 30, so if you’re still expecting a paper check, it’s time to double-check your setup with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Here’s how this week’s payments break down.

If your birthday falls between the 11th and 20th of your birth month, your November Social Security benefit is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, Nov. 19, according to the SSA’s 2025 payment calendar.

That applies mainly to retirees and older beneficiaries receiving standard Social Security benefits.

Social Security payments are usually sent out on Wednesdays, and your birthdate determines which one:

• Born between the 1st and 10th → Paid on the second Wednesday of the month;
• Born between the 11th and 20th → Paid on the third Wednesday (that’s this week’s group);
• Born on the 21st or later → Paid on the fourth Wednesday.

There are a few exceptions:

• If you’ve been getting Social Security since before May 1997, you’re generally paid on the 3rd day of each month, unless that falls on a weekend or federal holiday.
• If you receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you usually get:

• • SSI on the 1st of the month;

  • Social Security on the 3rd of the month.

SSI follows its own calendar. Payments are typically sent on the first business day of the month, but they’re moved earlier if that date lands on a weekend or holiday.

For the rest of 2025 and into early 2026, SSI payments are scheduled for:

• Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 – Payment for December 2025;
• Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 – Payment for January 2026;
• Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 – Payment for February 2026;
• Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 – Payment for March 2026.

Remember, with direct deposit and Direct Express now the norm, those funds should hit your account or card on the scheduled day — no waiting on the mail, and no paper checks to misplace.

With the cost-of-living increase set to kick in in less than two months, this week’s payments are some of the last at current benefit levels before that bump officially shows up in your monthly amount.