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.
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. 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.
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 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.
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