With a new month underway, many Social Security recipients can expect to receive their May payments soon, with the first one hitting on May 13. Social Security benefits are usually paid on Wednesdays. Here’s what to know about this week’s payments.

Who is eligible for Social Security payments?

To be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, you must be at least 62 years old and have earned at least 40 work credits — this is equal to about 10 years of work while paying Social Security taxes.

Beyond retirement, you may be eligible for Social Security benefits if you are disabled or blind and meet specific medical and work-credit criteria. Family members such as spouses, ex-spouses, survivors, dependent parents, and children of eligible workers may also qualify for payments.

Read more: What is the retirement age for Social Security?

When are payment checks sent?

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), payments are distributed based on the recipient’s birth date. Typically, they arrive on the second, third, and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

Exactly which Wednesday will depend on your birth date.

Recipients who are born from the first to the 10th of the month receive their benefit on the second Wednesday of the month. If your birth date falls on the 11th to the 20th of the month, you’ll receive your payment on the third Wednesday of the month. Those who are born on the 21st to the 31st of the month will receive their payment on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Social Security payment schedule

A full schedule of this year’s Social Security payments is available on the Social Security Administration’s website.

Read more: Will Social Security really go broke in 2035? Here is exactly what’s happening.

How Social Security checks are paid

If your friend has received her Social Security check this month, but you haven’t, there’s no need to panic.

Payments are sent out in bundles based on birthdays, and for most people, they’re electronically deposited directly into a federally insured bank account.

By law, all federal benefit payments — including Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits — must be made electronically with few exceptions. Your monthly benefit is either sent to your bank account via direct deposit or loaded onto a Direct Express Debit Mastercard. If you’re applying for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits, you can elect to receive your benefit payment in one of these methods electronically when you enroll.

If you currently receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits by check, you are in the minority and may need to switch to an electronic payment option if possible.

Read more: How to find out your 2026 Social Security COLA increase

Getting help if there’s a problem

Direct deposits typically appear by 9 a.m. on your payment day. If your payment is late, check with your bank or financial institution to see if there has been a posting delay.

If you receive your benefits by paper check, it can take up to three business days to receive your benefits. If that doesn’t happen, contact the SSA via phone at 800-772-1213, or online through your My Social Security account.

Your My Social Security account is a free personalized portal where you can request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of a benefits application, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits you already receive. You can set up an account even if you don’t currently receive benefits.

Confirm that the SSA has your correct bank information and address, and it’s a good idea to sign up for SSA to notify you when the payment is sent out.

Read more: Social Security warns that email scams are surging: What to know, how to respond

Filing for initial Social Security benefits

You can apply to start your Social Security checks via your My Social Security account or make an appointment with an agent in person or by phone at 800-333-1795. You select the month you want your benefit to start in your application. After you apply, SSA will send you a letter confirming that your benefits are approved or that you need to provide more information.

It typically takes at least a month to receive your first Social Security check after your application is processed. The precise timing of your payment delivery relies on processing times at the Social Security Administration. Right now, staffing cuts and other backend tech disruptions are raising alarms.

During an SSA operations meeting in April, an official from the agency reported that the field offices “are struggling right now to keep pace with the timeliness this year.”

That’s why it’s smart to apply up to four months before you want to start receiving benefits.

As Jason Fichtner, executive director of the Retirement Income Institute who served in several positions at the Social Security Administration, warned in an interview: “With SSA staff being reduced while the agency was already operating at insufficient support levels and computer systems in need of modernization, continued service delays, and breakdowns are likely.”

Read more: Americans nearing retirement say they plan to take Social Security ‘as soon as eligible’