Two Social Security checks: Sometimes you may get two checks in the same month if you receive Social Security payments. Many times, this is because you are getting two different benefit payments or because your benefit check would ordinarily arrive on a weekend or holiday. You may occasionally be getting payments in advance.
On May 1st, the regular payments were made to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. SSI covers some Americans 65 years of age and older, as well as qualified adults and children who are blind or disabled. On the last day of the month, another check will be given out; no checks will be sent out in June.
There’s no need to be concerned. Because of the previously noted calendar anomaly, SSI recipients will continue to get their full benefits as usual, but their June payments will arrive a bit early.
Why have two Social Security checks been given to you?
If you now get Social Security payments, it’s important to understand which benefits you qualify for and when each one is paid. Social Security payments fall into two groups:
The Old-Age, Survivor and Disability Insurance (SSA) program of the Social Security Administration offers benefits to retirees, disabled workers, and surviving family members of deceased workers.
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According to Nerd Wallet, there are 3 primary categories under the OASDI program, all of which have identical taxes and payment schedules and are typically not collectable at the same time:
- Retirement benefits from Social Security that, depending on lifetime earnings, partially replace pre-retirement earnings. If you have paid Social Security taxes for 10 or more years and are 62 years of age or older, you are eligible.
- Benefits paid to an eligible worker’s surviving spouse, dependent parents, or disabled children under the age of 18 are known as Social Security survivor income.
- Benefits under Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, are given to qualified individuals and children who have low incomes and qualifying disabilities.
- Low-income people who meet the requirements for government income support can receive supplemental income in the form of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI In addition to retirement benefits or disability payments, one may also be eligible for SSI. The timetable for OASDI payments differs from that of SSI payments.
Just by your eligibility for and enrollment in several benefits, you may receive two checks every month. The Social Security Administration states that if you receive both Social Security benefits and SSI, you will get your Social Security payment on the third of the month and your SSI payment on the first.
A weekend or holiday had an impact on the schedule
Low-income people who are 65 years of age or older, blind, or have a physical disability and are eligible for government help can receive payments under the Supplemental Security Income program. Individuals receive their SSI benefits on the first calendar day of each month.
Sometimes this results in qualifying individuals receiving two SSI checks in the same month. For example, individuals who qualified would have received their SSI payments on December 30, 2022, the last working day of the month and neither a federal holiday nor a weekend, because January 1, 2023, fell on a weekend and was a federal holiday.
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In contrast, even with holiday adjustments, OASDI payments typically do not fall on the first or final day of the month. Depending on your birthdate, they are often handed out on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month.
The first day before the Wednesday that isn’t a federal holiday will be used as the planned payment if the Wednesday for benefits payment occurs on a federal holiday. It is improbable that you will receive two payments from this program in the same month due to the scheduling. However, it remains feasible if you are also getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Disability Back Payments (more on that later).
