Final October Social Security payment of up to $5,181 lands Wednesday: why only some retirees are paid this week and how much you can actually expect

The last Social Security payment for October will be paid this week. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will send it on Wednesday, October 28. Some retirees can get up to $5,181 a month, but this is not the amount most people receive.

Who gets paid on October 28, and how much

The SSA decides the payment day mostly by the beneficiary’s date of birth. People born between the 1st and 10th of a month are paid on the second Wednesday. Those born between the 11th and 20th get their money on the third Wednesday.

People born between the 21st and 31st are paid on the fourth Wednesday, which falls on October 28 this month.


Some people follow a different schedule. This applies to those who began getting Social Security before May 1997. It also applies to certain people who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

The amount differs from person to person. It depends on lifetime earnings and the age at which a person starts taking benefits. The SSA looks at a worker’s earnings record. Higher earnings on which Social Security tax was paid generally lead to a higher benefit.

The SSA has given three examples. They are for a person who earned the maximum taxable amount every year from age 22 and starts collecting in 2026:

• At age 62, the benefit can be up to $2,969 a month.


• At full retirement age, it can be up to $4,152 a month.


• At age 70, it can be up to $5,181 a month.

So the $5,181 figure is only an example for a top earner who waited until 70. A person who earned less than the taxable maximum can get a lower amount.

What changes in 2027

The SSA announced on October 14 that benefits for about 76 million Americans will go up by 3.6 percent in 2027. This yearly increase is called the Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA. It covers both Social Security and SSI.

The increase is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. The SSA compares the third quarter of 2025 with the third quarter of 2026.

The SSA has also given estimates of what this means for average payments:

• Retired workers: from $2,095 to $2,170 a month, a rise of about $75.


• Aged couples where both receive benefits: from $3,238 to $3,355.


• Disabled workers: from $1,642 to $1,701.

Social Security recipients will see the higher amount in the payments they receive in January 2027. SSI recipients will get theirs a little earlier, at the end of December 2026.

Nobody has to apply for the increase. It is added automatically, and the SSA will inform each person of their new benefit amount.