Social Security Final September 2026 Payment: Final Check Arrives as 2027 COLA Estimate Rises
Posted on09/21/26 at 17:00
The Social Security Administration will send the final regular Social Security payment of September this week, as retirees get new clues about how much their benefits could increase in 2027.
The deposit is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23 and primarily applies to beneficiaries born between the 21st and 31st.
- Why it matters: The payment arrives with less than a month to go before a key inflation report provides the final data needed to calculate the 2027 COLA.
Who Receives the Final Social Security Payment of September?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes most benefits based on the birth date of the person whose earnings record the benefits are based on.
The regular schedule for September is divided as follows:
- 1st to 10th: second Wednesday of the month.
- 11th to 20th: third Wednesday.
- 21st to 31st: fourth Wednesday, which falls on September 23.
Therefore, this Wednesday will close the regular September payment schedule for beneficiaries in the final group.
There are exceptions: Those who began receiving benefits before May 1997 or receive both Social Security and SSI follow a different payment schedule.
The amount deposited also varies from person to person, depending mainly on their earnings history and the age at which they began receiving benefits.
2027 Social Security COLA Projection Stands at 3.5%
💵 The Social Security check will go up in 2027.
The maximum benefit, currently $5,181 per month, will reach around $5,362 thanks to the cost-of-living adjustment. For millions of Hispanic families, Social Security is their main, and often only, source of income in… pic.twitter.com/S9VPViyIjf
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) September 18, 2026
Attention is now focused on the 2027 COLA, as two of the three months used to determine the annual adjustment are already known.
The CPI-W registered year-over-year increases of 3.4% in July and 3.5% in August, two key figures for tracking the next benefit increase.
After the August figures were released, The Senior Citizens League adjusted its projection and now estimates a COLA of approximately 3.5% for 2027.
The figure would exceed the 2.8% applied in 2026, although it is important to clarify that 3.5% remains a projection and is not the official increase.
When Will the Final 2027 Social Security Increase Be Known?
If the COLA ultimately reaches 3.5%, a monthly benefit of $2,000 would increase by around $70, to approximately $2,070.
The adjustment is calculated using the CPI-W for the third quarter, which includes July, August, and September.
- The next CPI report for September is scheduled for October 14, according to the calendar published by the BLS.
- That data will complete the third-quarter figures needed to determine the adjustment Social Security beneficiaries will receive in 2027.
Once officially established, the new COLA will apply to benefits for December, which Social Security recipients will begin receiving in January 2027.