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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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Millions of Americans are due to receive their next Social Security payment this week.
Recipients who have birthdays that fall between the 1st and 10th of any month will receive their retirement benefits on Tuesday, November 10, according to the payment calendar published by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
In 2026, the highest possible monthly retirement benefit is currently $5,181, but the amount each person receives varies and depends on factors such as the amount they earned during their working life and the age at which they started collecting their retirement benefits.
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Who Will Get Paid This Week?
Social Security retirement payments are generally distributed according to a person's date of birth.
Those born between the 1st and 10th of a month typically receive their benefits on the second Wednesday of each month. However, this month, the second Wednesday falls on November 11, which is Veterans Day, a federal holiday, so beneficiaries will receive their payments a day early, on November 10.
People born later in the month have to wait a little longer. Those with birthdays from the 11th through the 20th are scheduled to receive their payments on Wednesday, November 18, while people born from the 21st through the 31st are due to be paid on Wednesday, November 25.
There are exceptions. People who started receiving Social Security before May 1997, or who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), generally receive their Social Security payment on the third of the month and SSI on the first.
How Much Do Retirees Get?
The maximum Social Security retirement benefit in 2026 depends heavily on the age at which a person starts collecting it.
According to the SSA, a worker retiring at age 62 in 2026 can receive a maximum of $2,969 per month. For someone retiring at full retirement age in 2026, the maximum amount is $4,152. But if someone waits until age 70 before they start collecting their Social Security check, they can receive up to $5,181 a month.
These maximums assume that the worker earned at or above Social Security's maximum taxable earnings level, consistently, from age 22.
Most recipients receive considerably less.
The SSA's 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) fact sheet estimated that the average retired worker would receive $2,071 per month in January 2026, following a 2.8 percent COLA increase. The average monthly benefit for disabled workers was estimated at $1,630
How Is Your Social Security Benefit Worked Out?
In simple terms, the more a person earns and pays in Social Security taxes during their working life, the higher their retirement benefit is likely to be, up to certain limits.
The SSA calculates benefits based on a person's earnings. It adjusts earlier earnings to account for changes in average wages over time and uses a worker's earnings history to determine their eventual benefit.
However, annual earnings are capped. In 2026, Social Security taxes and benefit calculations apply to earnings up to $184,500. Income above that level doesn’t increase a person's eventual Social Security benefit.
The age at which someone claims is also important. Retirement benefits can generally be claimed from age 62, but starting early reduces the monthly amount. Waiting beyond full retirement age increases the benefit until age 70.
Social Security Benefits Will Increase in 2027
The payments arriving this month include the 2026 COLA, which raised the estimated average retired worker's monthly benefit from $2,015 to $2,071.
A bigger increase is coming next year.
In October, the SSA announced that Social Security and SSI benefits will rise by 3.6 percent in 2027, affecting about 76 million Americans. The agency estimates that Social Security retirement benefits will increase by an average of about $75 per month.
Social Security recipients will begin receiving the higher amounts in January 2027, while increased SSI payments will begin on December 31, 2026.
The annual increase helps Social Security benefits keep pace with the rising cost of living. It’s based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
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