May Dates Social Security Recipients Need To Circle On Their Calendars

By Christy Bieber Published May 12, 11:00AM EDT

Quick Read

Your Social Security payment date isn't random. It's tied to something on your birth certificate that most recipients never connect to their monthly check. See your payment date →
One May date has nothing to do with your payment, yet it could shape how much Social Security pays you for the rest of your life. Explore the May CPI release →
Inflation is already bad news for retirees, and it quietly damages one part of their finances that Social Security's built-in protection doesn't cover. See how inflation affects you →
If your May payment doesn't arrive on time, the Social Security Administration has a specific rule about when you're actually allowed to call them. Check the delay rules →
Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset's free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don't waste another minute; learn more here.

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May Dates Social Security Recipients Need To Circle On Their Calendars — © Alena Ivochkina / Shutterstock.com

May is well underway, but Social Security retirees still have some important days coming up. In fact, there are a few key dates that seniors who collect benefits should circle on their calendar so they’re prepared for what’s coming this month.

Here’s what retirees should plan for.

The May CPI data release

One of the most important days of the month for Social Security recipients is the date that the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the Consumer Price Index data. BLS provides information on a monthly basis showing how the cost of a basket of goods and services is trending. This is a measure of inflation, or rising prices.

This number is very important to retirees because seniors get a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), which is based on year-over-year changes to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). While the COLA is specifically calculated using third-quarter CPI-W data, keeping track of how this number is trending provides insight into what the COLA is likely to look like.

Retirees depend on this raise to help ensure their benefits keep pace with inflation. In 2026, the COLA was 2.8%, and early predictions suggest it could be higher next year (potentially around 3.2%). The May CPI numbers will provide another data point that helps seniors know what to expect in terms of the 2027 raise.

Inflation data is also important to seniors because rising prices don’t tend to be good news for those who have a lot of money saved in retirement accounts. These accounts don’t have automatic inflation adjustments like Social Security does, and many seniors tend to invest conservatively because they can’t afford to take risks with money they will need soon. As a result, these accounts can lose buying power when inflation is surging. Seniors need to be aware of and plan for this by tracking how inflation is trending.

This data is expected to be released on May 12, 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because there is no meeting of the Federal Reserve (the country’s central bank) in May, the CPI data will provide the best indicator of economic trends that affect the COLA and the overall financial trends that impact retirees’ finances.

The May Social Security payment dates

A white piggy bank sits on the top left corner of a white calendar. The word 'Retirement' is written in bold red letters across the center of the calendar, covering the dates for a few days in the third week of the month. Black numbers mark the other days on the calendar grid.

The other key dates seniors should circle on their calendar are the dates that monthly Social Security payments come. The delivery date for Social Security checks is based on your birth date. Specifically, according to the Social Security Administration, payments will come:

May 13 if your birthday is the 1st through the 10th of the month
May 20 if your birthday is the 11th through the 20th of the month
May 27 if your birthday is the 21st through the 31st

If you do not receive your payment on the expected day, the Social Security Administration has asked that you wait three days before contacting them. You can also check to make sure that your bank account number is correct, and check in with your bank to see if they may be responsible for the issue with delivering your benefits.

Being aware of these days can help you keep on top of what is happening with Social Security both now and in the future.

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About the Author Christy Bieber →

Christy Bieber has been a personal finance and legal writer since 2008. She has a JD from UCLA School of Law and a BA in English, Media and Communications with a certification in business from the University of Rochester.

Christy has been published by a wide variety of sites, including WSJ Buy Side, Forbes, Kiplinger, Fox Business, Credit Karma, Insurify, and Annuity.org. In addition to writing for the web, she has also ghostwritten textbooks on business and law and served as a subject matter expert for course design.