November is ending and the year is too, and this week one of the last Social Security payments of the year is due, so if you receive your retirement benefit, say goodbye to 2025 because it is almost over! And yes, if you receive the maximum, it is 5,108 dollars that are coming to your wallet.
This final payment is for those who have birthdays between the 21st and the 31st, and it closes a month that has been marked by the typical rotating SSA calendar (which you should already know how it works by now…) And it is the last check before the 2026 COLA adjustment comes into play!
The Wednesday calendar
If you have ever wondered why some people receive the money earlier and others later, the answer is that the SSA organizes payments by Wednesdays and by date of birth to avoid overloads, delays, and to make it easier for everyone to organize their own expenses.
Second Wednesday: born from the 1st to the 10th
Third Wednesday: born from the 11th to the 20th
Fourth Wednesday: born from the 21st to the 31st
In November the first two groups already got paid. This Wednesday the 26th, it is the third group’s turn. And with that, November is officially closed.
Who gets paid earlier… and why
There are two types of beneficiaries who do not follow this calendar:
Those who receive SSI.
Those who have collected SSA since before May 1997.
They always go separately, which is why the SSI payment arrived on October 31, early, since November 1 fell on a weekend and as always when it falls on a holiday or weekend, it is moved to the previous business day.
November payment calendar
October 31: SSI payment (advanced)
November 3: retirees prior to 1997 and those who receive SSI + SSA
November 12: born from the 1st to the 10th
November 19: born from the 11th to the 20th
November 26: born from the 21st to the 31st
Who reaches the maximum of 5.108 dollars?
Well of course, not everyone can reach that amount. To get the 5,108 dollars per month you must meet two very specific conditions: having delayed retirement until age 70, and having worked 35 years with earnings at the maximum taxable limit. So very few users get the full retirement amount, but hey, the rest do not receive a bad number!
The 2026 COLA
In January the COLA increase for 2026 goes into effect: 2.8%. That means that the average check of 2,008 dollars will go up about 56 dollars and that the maximum benefit at full retirement age will go from 4,018 to 4,152 dollars!
Why does this check matter so much?
But have you looked at the calendar? Right before Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas shopping and all those expenses, and right before the COLA change. This might be the most important payment of the whole year!
Changes are coming!
This Wednesday’s payment is not just “the last check of the month”. It is the financial closing of November for millions of people and the direct bridge to an intense December and a January in which the checks will arrive a little higher, but not much. 2026 is going to change our economic outlook and maybe not for everyone at the same pace, but for now, let us make the most of this payment!