Early next week, certain Social Security recipients in the U.S. are to receive their latest monthly benefits, in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) first payment run in March 2026.
On Tuesday, Mar. 3, the SSA is due to disburse money to two groups of recipients who are signed up for the agency’s retirement or survivor benefits, or for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Who’s getting a Social Security payment on Mar. 3, 2026?
- Some long-term Social Security beneficiaries
March’s Social Security benefits are to be issued to certain long-standing recipients of retirement, SSDI or survivor pay: specifically, those who have been receiving any of these benefits since before May 1997.
- Social Security beneficiaries who also claim SSI
Mar. 3 is also your payment date for retirement, SSDI or survivor benefits if you combine any of these programs with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – a scheme for low-income individuals who are over 65 or have a disability.
Next month’s SSI benefits are scheduled to be sent out slightly before March arrives: on Friday, Feb. 27.
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How much are retirement, SSDI and survivor benefits?
Per the latest figures shared by the SSA, retired workers – who make up around three-quarters of all Social Security recipients – get an average of $2,074.53 a month. Disabled workers are paid $1,633.48 a month on average, and monthly survivor benefits average $1,622.32.
When are other Social Security recipients paid for February?
Of the just over 70 million recipients of retirement, SSDI or survivor benefits in the U.S., most will be paid on the second, third or fourth Wednesday in March.
A beneficiary’s allocated Wednesday depends on the date of birth of the worker whose Social Security taxes have accumulated the benefits entitlement:
- Born on 1st-10th of any month: Weds., Mar. 11
- Born on 11th-20th of any month: Weds., Mar. 18
- Born on 21st-31st of any month: Weds., Mar. 25
For more information about the SSA’s benefits schedule for March 2026, check out this explainer. Meanwhile, you’ll find the agency’s complete payment timeline for the year ahead in this calendar on the SSA website.
How does Social Security make benefits payments?
The SSA offers benefits recipients two ways of picking up their payments electronically:
- Direct deposit
By providing the SSA with their bank details, beneficiaries can have their money paid into their account by direct deposit. Recipients of retirement, SSDI and survivor pay can supply their bank-account information online, using the agency’s “my Social Security” portal.
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- Direct Express
Beneficiaries also have the alternative of having their monthly payments loaded onto the Direct Express Card, a special debit card for federal disbursements made to people who do not have a bank account. You can sign up for the card by calling 1-800-333-1795 or by visiting the Direct Express website.
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