Social Security Benefits Being Paid Out This Week

January’s Social Security payments are expected to be paid this week.

Why it Matters

More than 70 million Americans rely on monthly payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA), making the program a pillar of retirement and disability support for seniors, workers, and their families. 

This week brings the first Social Security checks of 2026, reflecting a 2.8 percent cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) intended to help beneficiaries keep pace with inflation. 

The SSA calculated the annual adjustment using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, which tracks inflation. Since 1975, it has relied on data from July through September to decide whether benefits should rise to help people pay for essentials like food, housing, and health care.

With health care and everyday expenses rising, even a small shift in benefit payment amounts—like this one—can really impact household budgets across the United States.

What To Know

The SSA pays out benefits on a staggered schedule. For January 2026, beneficiaries whose birthdays fall between the 1st and 10th of any month are scheduled to receive their payments on Wednesday, January 14. This payment will include the 2.8 percent COLA. 

Payments to those born between the 11th and 20th should arrive on January 21, and those born between the 21st and 31st can expect to receive theirs on January 28.

Some beneficiaries who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or who began collecting benefits before May 1997, received their payments earlier in the month, on January 2.

According to data from the SSA, this year’s 2.8 percent COLA provides an average $56 boost to monthly retirement benefits, although individual increases may vary. The COLA adjustment is intended to offset rising prices for essentials such as food, rent, and health care. However, many beneficiaries will see a portion of that increase absorbed by higher Medicare Part B premiums, which will climb nearly 10 percent this year to $202.90 per month.

As a result of the COLA, the average monthly retirement benefit will increase from around $2,015 to $2,071, and the maximum benefit for someone who claims at the full retirement age (which is 67) will increase from $4,018 to $4,152.

What Happens Next

If a Social Security payment doesn’t arrive on the expected date, beneficiaries are advised to wait up to three business days before contacting the SSA to allow for possible delays.