The third round of Social Security payments will be delivered to recipients soon. If you’re unsure when you should expect your check, we have you covered with the payment schedule for the month of May. 

Social Security benefit payments are sent monthly for people who have applied for their retirement, survivors or disability benefits. The payments are sent in waves throughout the month. When you receive your Social Security check is determined by 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 not sure when you should be receiving your payment, we’ll break it down below.

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 May. 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.

This is when you’ll receive your Social Security check

Want to know which day of the month you’ll receive your check? This is the Social Security and SSDI payment schedule for May.

How to determine your Social Security payment date

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 we’ll cover below.

Other federal benefits will not be sent the same day

If you’ve received Social Security benefits since before May 1997, or receive 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. 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 are going away soon

An executive order from the White House will end the use of paper Social Security checks on Sept. 30. This means all payments after that date will be sent digitally, including direct deposits, debit and credit cards, digital wallets and other real-time payment systems to reduce the overall cost of sending out physical checks to beneficiaries.

The decision is not surprising when you consider that only 485,766 Social Security checks are mailed each month, which pales in comparison to the 68,104,184 direct deposit payments made each month. While this will undoubtedly be an adjustment period for those people who have been receiving physical checks, moving mailed benefits payments to digital forms will increase security. It’s important to note that some exclusions will be made for certain individuals. 

A missing Social Security check? Try these steps

If your check fails to arrive when it’s supposed to or not at all, the Social Security Administration suggests waiting 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 a hold 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.