Now that we're officially in the month of April, one Social Security payment has already been sent out to recipients and the remaining three checks will follow in the coming weeks. Social Security checks are sent to people who have applied for retirement, survivors, or disability benefits.
When you receive your Social Security check is determined by checking how long you've been receiving benefits, whether you receive additional government benefits or the day of the month you were born. If you're unsure when you should be receiving your payment, we'll break it down.
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Read on to find out how your payment date is determined, when you should receive your check and the full payment schedule for the month of April.
For more, don't miss the Social Security and SSDI cheat sheet and why Social Security Disability Insurance recipients might need to file taxes this year.
Here's when you'll receive your Social Security check
Want to know which day of the month you'll get your check? Here's the Social Security and SSDI payment schedule for April.
Social Security payment schedule for April 2025
If you have received Social Security since before May 1997 | April 3 |
---|---|
If your birthday falls between the 1st and 10th of any given month | April 9 |
If your birthday falls between the 11th and 20th of any given month | April 16 |
If your birthday falls between the 21st and 31st of any given month | April 23 |
How your payment date is determined is complex
Social Security payments are typically paid out starting on the second Wednesday of the month. The remaining two payments will be paid out on the following two Wednesdays of the month. Which week you receive your payment depends on your birthdate. There is one big exception, which I'll cover below.
Birthdate between | Social Security check date |
---|---|
1st and the 10th | 2nd Wednesday of the month |
11th and the 20th | 3rd Wednesday of the month |
21st and 31st | 4th Wednesday of the month |
Other government benefits will not be sent the same day
If you have received Social Security benefits since before May 1997, or receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income, your payment schedule isn't determined by your birthdate. Instead, payments are paid out every month on the same date with a couple of exceptions that I'll explain here.
Social Security payments will be sent out on the 3rd of each month, while SSI payments are sent out on the 1st of each month. These dates will sometimes change if the 1st or the 3rd of the month falls on a weekend or holiday. For example, March 3 of last year fell on a weekend, so Social Security recipients received their March payments two days early, on March 1.
The only benefits that are paid on the same schedule are Social Security and Social Security Disability Insurance.
Paper Social Security checks will go away soon
In case you weren't aware, an executive order from the White House has ended the use of paper Social Security checks, with the change taking place on Sep 30, 2025. This means that all payments after that date will be sent by digital means, including direct deposits, debit and credit cards, digital wallets and other real-time payment systems to reduce the overall cost of sending physical checks to beneficiaries.
The move is far from surprising when you consider that only 485,766 social security checks are mailed each month, which pales in comparison the 68,104,184 direct deposit payments made every month. While this will undoubtedly be an adjustment period for those who have been receiving physical checks, moving mailed benefits payments to digital forms will increasing security. It's important to note that some exclusions will be made for certain individuals.
Is your Social Security check missing? Try these steps
If your check fails to show up when it's supposed to or at all, the Social Security Administration suggests waiting for three additional mailing days before contacting it. After that, you can call the national toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213.
The SSA notes that "wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter in the morning, later in the week and later in the month." If you're having trouble getting ahold of the SSA through the national number, you can use its office locator to find a local office.
For more, see how to apply for Social Security benefits for eligible children and how to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance.