Social Security Administration Prepares August 26 Benefit Disbursements

The Social Security Administration will issue the month's final round of direct payments on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, for beneficiaries born between the 21st and the end of any given month.

The disbursement marks the conclusion of the agency's three-Wednesday payment cycle for August, which distributes funds based on recipient birth dates. Those born between the 1st and 10th received payments on August 12, while beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th were paid on August 19.

The SSA completed four of its five scheduled August payment runs across retirement, disability, and survivor programs, as well as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The average monthly payout stands at $2,031.74 for retirement benefits, $1,634.61 for survivor benefits, and $1,498.43 for disability benefits.

Long-term beneficiaries who began receiving benefits before May 1997, along with individuals claiming both Social Security and SSI, received their monthly payouts on August 3. Beneficiaries claiming benefits based on another person's work history receive funds according to that worker's birthdate.

Supplemental Security Income recipients received their August distributions early on Friday, July 31, because August 1 fell on a Saturday. The SSI program serves low-income individuals who are aged 65 or older, blind, or disabled, providing maximum monthly payments of $736.54 for average recipients and up to $994 for eligible individual filers.

The agency will issue its next SSI payment, valued at up to $994 for individual filers and $1,491 for joint-filing couples, on September 1. Supplemental Security Income requires recipients to hold U.S. citizenship or qualifying legal status, reside within the United States or Northern Mariana Islands, and avoid extended foreign absences.

Future SSI distributions for late 2026 are scheduled for October 1, October 30 for the November benefit, December 1, and December 31 for the January 2027 benefit. Payments are distributed either via direct bank deposit or loaded onto the Direct Express Card.