NEW YORK, July 22, 2026, 17:05 EDT
- Recipients will receive August’s SSI payment on Friday, July 31, as August 1 lands on a Saturday.
- The recurring payment is initially calculated at $5.41 billion. As a result, the month of July includes an estimated $10.81 billion over two separate cycles.
- Social Security payments tied to birthdays are still set for August 12, 19 and 26.
August’s Supplemental Security Income disbursement is expected to total roughly $5.41 billion, according to an initial estimate. Recipients are set to receive payments on Friday, July 31.
This is not a reduction in benefits, nor is it an extra payment. Because August 1 is a Saturday, the payment will be advanced by one day.
The change poses a timing challenge for investors. There will be two standard SSI batches in July, and August will not have a scheduled batch. Volatility in daily card and federal cash-flow data may occur near the end of the month.
Core equity trading in the U.S. ended at 4 p.m. EDT. After-hours trading continued until 8 p.m. The week before featured the July 15 Social Security wave.
Wednesday saw the last round of July payments issued for those with birthdays between the 21st and 31st of the month. The next atypical payment will occur on July 31.
According to the SSA, weekend benefits are disbursed “the business day before your due date.” The agency’s calendar lists SSI payments taking place on July 1 as well as July 31. Social Security
| Calendar entry | Payment date | Preliminary recurring amount* |
|---|---|---|
| July SSI monthly | July 1 | About $5.41 billion |
| August SSI monthly | July 31 | About $5.41 billion |
| Two SSI monthly distributions in July | July 1 and July 31 | About $10.81 billion |
| No regular monthly SSI disbursement in August | None | $0 |
| September SSI monthly | September 1 | About $5.41 billion |
Initial calculation: 7.324 million June beneficiaries times the $738.10 monthly average payment. The official June sum of $5.78 billion reflected some retroactive payments, meaning actual disbursements by date may vary.
In June, SSA reported 7.324 million people receiving SSI. The average monthly benefit stood at $738.10, not factoring in retroactive payments. Including those amounts, total disbursements amounted to $5.78 billion.
Individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 made up 51.9% of all recipients. Those aged 65 and over represented 34.2%. Children made up the last 13.9%.
An estimated recurring SSI batch represents roughly 0.70% of retail and food-service sales for June. This figure provides a scale comparison and does not serve as a sales forecast. Retail and food-service sales for June reached $768.6 billion.
Studies focused on payment days support the idea of a timing effect. Economist Melvin Stephens Jr. observed that expenditures increased just after the arrival of Social Security payments. The change was most visible in households for which benefits accounted for the main share of income. He called the expected effects “relatively small.” IDEAS/RePEc
This suggests a short-lived increase in activity on payment day. Transaction volumes could stabilize between July 31 and the opening weekend of August. The rise does not indicate $5.4 billion in fresh demand.
The July 31 adjustment affects SSI only, not the entire Social Security program. The August payments tied to birthdays are still scheduled for August 12, 19, and 26. Some legacy and dual-benefit recipients are slated to receive payments on August 3.
Risks: This estimate is based on June recipient numbers and average disbursements remaining steady. Modifications to eligibility, state-level supplements, retroactive benefits, and other factors could impact the final amount distributed.
Investors are advised to review late-July and early-August data in conjunction. The empty August SSI entry indicates the timing of payments rather than a reduction in household income.
