If you opened your banking app on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and saw a deposit labeled “SSA,” you’re not alone. That’s your regular Social Security retirement payment—nothing extra or special. It’s simply your monthly benefit based on when you started collecting and your birth date.

The average payment is about $1,976 this month.

Why the Payment Comes on July 9

Social Security uses two payment schedules. If you began getting Social Security before May 1997, you still get paid on the 3rd of every month.

But if you started benefits after that, your payment day depends on your birth date. People born between the 1st and 10th of the month are in the first group. Since the second Wednesday of July 2025 is the 9th, that’s when your deposit is sent.

Who Gets Paid on July 9

To get paid on July 9, you must meet these three conditions:

• Your birthday is between the 1st and 10th.
• You started Social Security after May 1997.
• You don’t also receive SSI.

If all these are true, your money should arrive on July 9. It usually shows up early in the morning, but some banks take until noon.

If you’re part of a couple getting benefits on one person’s record, the money comes based on the primary person’s birth date and filing date.

July 2025 Social Security Payment Schedule

Here’s the full payment schedule for July 2025:

Birth Date Range	Payment Date
1st – 10th	Wednesday, July 9
11th – 20th	Wednesday, July 16
21st – 31st	Wednesday, July 23
Started Before 1997	Wednesday, July 3
SSI + Social Security	Monday, July 1

If you get both SSI and Social Security, or started before 1997, you already got your money earlier in the month.

How Your Benefit Is Calculated

Your payment amount is based on your top 35 years of earnings. These are adjusted with a formula that Social Security uses to find your base amount.

If you took benefits early, your payment can be cut by up to 30%. If you waited until age 70, your payment could be about 8% higher for each year you delayed past your full retirement age.

The $1,976 average check assumes you claimed at full retirement age and earned close to the national average during your working years.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)

In 2025, the average Social Security check rose by 2.5%. That’s about $49 more per month.

A 2% COLA is expected for 2026, but we won’t know the final number until October. The new amount will appear automatically in January 2026. You don’t need to apply or fill out any forms.

Use Your Deposit Wisely

Try to set up an automatic transfer to send part of your benefit into a savings account or Series I savings bonds. It’s a good way to build an emergency fund.

Some utility companies will give discounts or waive service charges if you set up autopay. Even saving just $50 a month can give you $600 after a year. That can help in case of an emergency like a car or roof repair.

What to Do If Your Payment Is Late

If your money doesn’t show up right away, don’t panic. Wait 24 hours. Sometimes banks delay deposits.

You can check the status of your payment by logging into your my Social Security account. If it says “sent,” contact your bank. If it hasn’t been sent, call Social Security at 800-772-1213.

Have your bank info ready when you call.

FAQs