Ssi recipients saw February payment arrive early; March check will be sent before the weekend
ssi recipients should have received their February payment early on Friday, Jan. 30, and the March payment will be sent on the Friday before March 1 because Social Security does not issue payments on weekends or federal holidays.
Ssi schedule for February and March
Those who qualify for ssi had their February payment distributed on Friday, Jan. 30, two days before the usual date because Feb. 1 fell on a Sunday. The Social Security Administration does not issue payments on weekends or federal holidays, so the agency moved the payment earlier in the month.
For regular Social Security retirement benefits, the agency’s yearly distribution schedule for 2026 is available online for budgeting and planning. Of the over 71 million Americans who receive regular Social Security payments, some had their February benefits arrive in the second round of payments this week, while the SSI distribution came at the end of January.
Who got what and when
People who started receiving benefits before May 1997 — or who receive both Social Security and SSI — should have received their payments on Feb. 3. Retirement and disability beneficiaries who began receiving payments after May 1997 follow the agency’s published staggered schedule for February payments.
Most beneficiaries are paid electronically: 99% receive payments that way. The agency suggests that if a mailed payment did not arrive on the expected date, recipients allow three additional mailing days before contacting the Social Security Administration.
Cost-of-living increase and what changed for 2026
Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income rose 2. 8% for 2026, an adjustment the agency announced in October 2025 after a nine-day delay tied to the government shutdown. Retirement benefits increased by an average of about $56 per month in 2026 under that cost-of-living adjustment.
There will also be another SSI check distributed at the end of February because March 1 falls on a Sunday; the agency will send that month’s check on the Friday before. That scheduling pattern — moving payments to the prior weekday when the scheduled date falls on a weekend — explains the early January and end-of-February timing.
The Social Security Administration’s yearly distribution calendar for 2026 remains available for beneficiaries to reference for future payment dates.
Next on the calendar: the March payment will be mailed on the Friday before March 1, and beneficiaries are advised to check the agency’s 2026 distribution schedule if they need specific payment dates for budgeting.
