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Why Some Social Security Recipients Will Get 2 Payments in October
By Martha C. White MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
It isn’t an “extra” check or a mistake.
The Social Security Administration is sending out two payments in the month of October to certain beneficiaries. But this isn’t an “extra” payment or a mistake. It’s just an ordinary distributional shift that happens a few times a year.
Roughly 68 million Americans — including about 90% of those age 65 and up — get monthly Social Security benefits, but not all of these people will get paid twice in October. That second payment will just go to Americans who receive Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, benefits.
The SSI program supports low-income Americans who are blind, disabled or 65 and older. Eligible Americans can get monthly SSI benefits of up to $994, while eligible couples can get up to $1,491 per month in 2026.
The average SSI payment in 2026 is about $736.
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Why is SSI getting paid twice in October?
SSI beneficiaries will receive their first payment — their regular October benefit — on Thursday as scheduled. Then, due to a quirk in the calendar, they’ll actually receive their November payment on Oct. 31.
That’s because SSI payments, as well as Social Security checks, aren’t distributed on weekends or federal holidays. Instead, benefits are paid on the last business day before their scheduled date. This means the November SSI payment date is being moved from Saturday, Nov. 1, to Friday, Oct. 31.
If you’re a retiree, this shift in the distribution date of SSI payments does not change when you’ll get your Social Security check in October, because that schedule is based on your birthday. So you can expect to get your payment at the usual time in October, although most retirees who receive both Social Security and SSI will get a total of three payments in October.
If you receive SSI, note that this change means you will not get a separate payment in the month of November. This isn’t a missed payment; it just means that you get your November benefit a day early.
Upcoming SSI payment schedule
Here’s when SSI payments will be paid out through the rest of 2026.
- Oct. 1: Regular payment for October
- Oct. 31: Early payment for November (Nov. 1 falls on a Saturday)
- Dec. 1: Regular payment for December
- Dec. 31: Early payment for January (Jan. 1, 2027, is a holiday)
Key upcoming Social Security dates to know
The holiday season brings another schedule change for beneficiaries: SSI recipients will get two payments in December, as well. Because New Year’s Day is a federal holiday, beneficiaries will get their January benefits a day early. As a result, they will not get a separate payment in the month of January and will get their next SSI check Feb. 1, 2027.
Also of note: The Social Security Administration will announce the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, on Oct. 14. The agency calculates the following year’s COLA based on the annual change in the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) in July, August and September.
According to the most recent estimates from advocates and analysts, Social Security recipients are on track to get a 3.5% 2027 COLA. That would be the biggest raise in three years and a big jump from the 2.8% 2026 COLA.
The final figure could rise or fall depending on September inflation figures. If that 3.5% estimate holds, the average retiree would see their monthly Social Security benefit in 2027 increase by almost $68, according to The Senior Citizens League.
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A longtime Money contributor, Martha C. White has written about a variety of personal finance topics such as careers, credit cards, insurance, retirement and shopping, and has edited Money’s Best Credit Cards rankings. She also writes stories about business and the economy for NBC News and The New York Times.