Social Security payments follow a normal schedule in December and will be the last check before the upcoming cost-of-living increase takes effect.
Social Security benefits – paid mostly to recipients who are older or retired – are typically paid on Wednesdays. If your birthday falls between the first and 10th days of the month, your payments are issued on the second Wednesday of the month (this month, that lands on Dec. 10), according to the Social Security Administration’s calendar.
Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th get paid on the third Wednesday (Dec. 17), and those born after the 20th of the month are paid on the fourth Wednesday of the month (Dec. 24), according to the SSA calendar. Social Security recipients who began getting benefits before May 1997 are paid on Dec. 3.
Following the December payments, recipients will get bigger checks, thanks to a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, increase. Payments will rise by about $56, on average, per month, when the COLA takes effect in January 2026, the Social Security Administration said.
Social Security payment schedule for December 2025 and January 2026
The Social Security Administration’s calendars of benefit payments for 2025 and 2026 are available online so you can check the schedules for budgeting purposes.
Regular Social Security retirement benefits for December will be sent out on the SSA’s usual schedule:
- Wednesday, Dec 10: Birth dates between the first and 10th of the month.
- Wednesday, Dec. 17: Birth dates between the 11th and 20th of the month.
- Wednesday, Dec. 24: Birth dates between the 21st and 31st of the month.
January 2026 Social Security retirement benefits will also be sent out on the SSA’s usual schedule:
- Wednesday, Jan. 14: Birth dates between the first and 10th of the month.
- Wednesday, Jan. 21: Birth dates between the 11th and 20th of the month.
- Wednesday, Jan. 28: Birth dates between the 21st and 31st of the month.
SSI payment schedule for December and into 2026
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income checks are typically issued payments on the first business day of the month, Monday, Dec. 1. Since Jan. 1, 2026 is a holiday (New Year’s Day), payments for January will be Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. SSI checks will be sent out on the following dates into early 2026, according to the SSA calendar:
- Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 (Check for December 2025)
- Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 (Check for January 2026)
- Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 (Check for February 2026)
- Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 (Check for March 2026)
- Wednesday, April 1, 2026 (Check for April 2026)
- Friday, May 1, 2026 (Check for May 2026)
- Monday, June 1, 2026 (Check for June 2026)
What is SSI?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a benefit program for persons with limited income or resources who are aged 65 or older, and who are blind or have a qualifying disability. Children with qualifying disabilities are also eligible, according to the SSA’s website. Adults who qualify for SSI typically do not have monthly wages above $2,019.
If you think you may be eligible for SSI, you can begin the application process online, in person at your local Social Security office, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time during the work week.
Contributing: USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes Jr., Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Medora Lee.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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