Overview
- Most Social Security retirement and disability payments arrive Dec. 10 (birthdays 1–10), Dec. 17 (11–20), and Dec. 24 (21–31).
- Beneficiaries who started before 1997 are paid on a fixed date, receiving December’s check on Dec. 3 and January’s on Jan. 2.
- SSI pays twice this month—Dec. 1 and an early January deposit on Dec. 31—because Jan. 1 is a federal holiday, so this is a timing shift rather than an extra benefit.
- The Dec. 31 SSI deposit is the first to include the 2026 2.8% COLA, lifting average retiree benefits by about $56 a month and setting SSI federal maximums at $994 for individuals, $1,491 for couples, and $498 for essential persons.
- The regular Wednesday cycle resumes in January with payments on Jan. 14, Jan. 21, and Jan. 28, and the SSA advises waiting three business days past a due date before reporting a missing payment.