Some Social Security Recipients Will Get Paid Twice This Month
If you receive Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, you’ll see two payments hit your account this December. Unfortunately, this isn’t a holiday bonus — it’s the result of how the Social Security Administration times its payments. The second deposit is January’s benefit arriving a day early because New Year’s Day is a federal holiday.
December's later payment will also include 2026’s cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. This means it will be about 2.8% larger than the check received at the start of the month. For the average retiree receiving Social Security, that works out to roughly $56 extra per month.
About 70 million Americans receive Social Security retirement benefits, while roughly 8 million receive disability insurance. Around 7 million receive SSI, a program designed to help folks with limited income and resources who are blind, disabled or age 65 and older. Some people receive both SSI and Social Security. The 2.8% COLA increase applies across all these programs, giving millions a small bump on and after Dec. 31.
When will you get your SSI check in December?
If you receive SSI benefits, you probably know by now that payments typically arrive on the first of the month. For December, the first SSI payments are scheduled to go out on Dec. 1, according to the Social Security Administration’s payment schedule.
However, the SSA shifts the benefit date whenever the first of the month falls on a weekend or federal holiday, which means January's payment is pushed to Dec. 31 this year. This doesn't change how much SSI beneficiaries receive for January's payment; it just means payments land a day early due to New Year's Day.
This isn't an unusual circumstance unique to December. In 2025, SSI recipients received two checks due to the first day of the following month falling on a weekend in May, August and October.
In 2026, a similar situation where SSI recipients receive two checks will occur in July, October and December.
Upcoming SSI payment schedule
Here's how the SSI payment calendar plays out for the rest of 2025 and 2026, according to the SSA's benefit payment calendar:
- Dec. 1, 2025: Regular payment for December
- Dec. 31, 2025: Early payment for January (due to New Year's Day)
- Jan. 30, 2026: Early payment for February (Feb. 1 falls on a Sunday)
- Feb. 27, 2026: Early payment for March (March 1 falls on a Sunday)
- April 1, 2026: Regular payment for April
- May 1, 2026: Regular payment for May
- June 1, 2026: Regular payment for June
- July 1, 2026: Regular payment for July
- July 31, 2026: Early payment for August (Aug. 1 falls on a Saturday)
- Sept. 1, 2026: Regular payment for September
- Oct. 1, 2026: Regular payment for October
- Oct. 30, 2026: Early payment for November (Nov. 1 falls on a Sunday)
- Dec. 1, 2026: Regular payment for December
- Dec. 31, 2026: Early payment for January (due to New Year's Day)
Social Security payment schedule for December
If you receive both SSI and Social Security benefits, your Social Security payment will still follow the regular monthly schedule for December, which is generally based on your birthdate.
There are exceptions for folks who started receiving benefits before May 1997. This group can expect SSI on Dec. 1 and Social Security benefits on Dec. 3.
If your birthday falls between the first and 10th day of the month, you'll receive your benefit on Dec. 10. If your birthday falls between the 11th and the 20th, you'll receive your payment on Dec. 17. And beneficiaries with birthdays between the 21st and 31st will get their checks on Dec. 24.
More from Money:
2026 Social Security COLA: Here's How Much Payments Will Rise Next Year
Social Security's Confusing 'Full Retirement Age' May Get a Rebrand
Retirees Are 'Terrified' Tariffs Will Cancel Out the Social Security COLA
