Most direct deposits arrive from Social Security on or around Thursday, Oct. 8, which is 26 days before the Tuesday, Nov. 3 midterms.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday, Oct. 2, that his administration would “immediately” send checks of “nearly $100” to seniors, but CMS, the agency that runs Medicare, put the real figure at $90 in a fact sheet.
The rebate. Each eligible person gets $90 once, toward Medicare Part B (the monthly premium for doctor visits and outpatient care). The standard 2026 Part B premium is $202.90 a month.
The money. The roughly $2 billion, $90 each for 20.8 million people, comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress created in 2008. Trump called it “a pointless ‘Slush Fund’ that has only been used by Dumocrats in Congress.”
The bigger promise. The same post repeated his $5,000 “Trump Dividend” for every adult citizen if Republicans keep both chambers of Congress, compared with the $90 rebate going out now.
What next. CMS says Treasury mails paper checks later in October, and Social Security takes payment-status calls starting Thursday, Oct. 15.
Who the eligibility rules shut out of the $90
- Worth knowingBeing on Medicare and paying a Part B premium is not enough. If you get coverage through a private Medicare Advantage plan, as 35 million of about 64 million people do, you will not get the $90., and they hold 35 million of about 64 million people with Parts A and B (KFF, 2026)
- People whose premium Medicaid already pays: about 12 million are enrolled in both programs (KFF)
- Higher earners paying the income surcharge on Part B: CMS has not said how many