Social Security Latest: Benefits Worth up to $5,181 Being Paid This Week - Newsweek

Millions of Social Security beneficiaries will be receiving their September payment this week.

More than 70 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, whether that be retirement, spousal, survivor or disability benefits.

The majority of recipients are paid according to their date of birth, with the Social Security Administration (SSA) staggering payments across the month.

This week, retirement, spousal and survivor payments will go out to beneficiaries whose birthdays fall between the 21st and 31st of any month on Wednesday, September 23.

There are exceptions to this: those who began receiving Social Security before May 1997, along with beneficiaries who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), generally receive their payments at the beginning of each month, rather than according to their birthday.

The SSA advises recipients who do not receive their payment on the expected date to allow three working days before contacting the agency.

How much Social Security you receive depends on several factors, including what type of benefit you get. For retirees, who make up the majority of recipients, benefits depend on earnings history and the age at which you begin claiming benefits.

For a retiree who earned at or above the maximum amount subject to Social Security taxes throughout their career, the maximum monthly retirement benefit in 2026 is $2,969 if benefits begin at age 62, $4,152 at full retirement age, and $5,181 if benefits begin at age 70, according to the SSA.

In reality, most recipients do not get the maximum amount available. The latest SSA data shows that the average retired worker received $2,085.98 per month in July 2026, and across all Social Security beneficiaries, including retirees, survivors and disability recipients, the average payment was $1,940.08.

October is also an important month for Social Security beneficiaries as the SSA will announce the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which will boost benefits in 2027. The COLA is designed to prevent Social Security and SSI benefits from losing purchasing power to inflation.

Estimates for how much benefits could increase by currently fall between 3.4 percent and 3.6 percent, nearly a whole percentage point higher than the 2026 COLA, which was 2.8 percent.

The COLA will be announced on October 14.