SSI Recipients Get 2 July Payments as August Benefit Moves to July 31

Q: Your Social Security check is getting a 2.8% raise. Will a larger Medicare hike erase it?

No. The 2.8% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2026 is being reduced by higher Medicare Part B premiums, but for most people it is not wiped out entirely. The average retired worker’s Social Security benefit is rising by about $56 a month, to roughly $2,071 in 2026. At the same time, the standard Medicare Part B premium is increasing from $185 to $202.90, a jump of $17.90 a month, or about 9.7%. For someone paying the standard Part B premium through their Social Security check, that means the COLA is still larger than the Medicare increase. Using the average benefit, the net gain would be about $38.10 a month after the higher Part B deduction. The effect is smaller for people with lower benefits. A beneficiary receiving $1,800 a month in 2025 would get about a $50.40 COLA increase in 2026, leaving a net gain of roughly $32.50 after the $17.90 Part B hike. For many disability beneficiaries, the increase is also reduced but not erased. The main exception is for people who pay more than the standard Part B premium because of income-related surcharges, or who face other rising health costs. In those cases, more of the COLA can disappear. So the larger Medicare hike does take a noticeable bite out of the 2026 raise, but for most beneficiaries it does not cancel it out completely.

3 articles · Updated · The Cincinnati Enquirer · Jul 14

July 31 brings a second SSI payment in 2026, but it is the August benefit paid early rather than extra money.
Aug. 1 falls on a Saturday, and SSI checks are issued on the first business day of the month, pushing that payment into July and leaving no SSI payment in August.
Sept. 1 is the next SSI payment date after July 31; later early-payment shifts in 2026 include Oct. 30 for November and Dec. 31 for January 2027.
Social Security retirement and disability benefits follow a separate schedule: recipients born July 11-20 are paid July 15, while those born July 21-31 are paid July 22.