The third wave of social security payments for the month of October is to be distributed this week. This would be the first set of payments under the agency’s new paperless policy. Starting in October, most recipients will need to have a direct deposit set up with their bank account or use a Direct Express card.
The change from paper checks to direct deposits came following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March. The Trump administration argued that the shift of all payments and collections to electronic methods is designed to protect taxpayers from fraud and stolen checks, speed up processing and cut costs. However, some have raised concerns that the shift will hurt marginalized Americans who lack access to digital services and may not even know this phase-out is coming.
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“A lot of claimants move around and don’t always get their mail,” says Jennifer Burdick, a divisional supervising attorney in the SSI Unit at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. “And the folks that I represent who get paper checks mostly learned from me about this transition.”
Beneficiaries who were born between the 21st and 31st day of their birth month are set to receive their monthly Social Security benefit on Wednesday, Oct. 22, according to the SSA’s payment calendar.
Social security payments, which are mostly paid to older or retired recipients, are usually paid on Wednesdays. If a recipient’s birthdate is between the first and 10th of the month, they are usually issued payments on the second Wednesday of the payment month, according to the SSA’s calendar. Recipients born between the 11th and 20th are paid on the third Wednesday, and those born after the 20th of the month get payments on the fourth Wednesday.
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Those who have received their social security payments before May 1997, can expect payments on the third day of the month, unless it falls on a weekend or holiday. Those who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can expect their Social Security payment on the third day of the month and their SSI payment on the first day of the month.
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) checks were set to receive payments on the first business day of the month, which was on Oct. 1, 2025.