December is the strangest month on the Social Security calendar. Some people get paid twice, one group gets nothing at all in January, and the first checks carrying the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment arrive before the year is even over.
None of it is a mistake or a bonus. Every date below comes from the Social Security Administration’s own published payment schedule, and the pattern follows the same weekend-and-holiday rule the SSA uses all year. Here is when your money lands, group by group.
Social Security December 2026 payment dates
Your December date depends on which group you are in. Find yours:
- SSI recipients: Tuesday, December 1
- Paid on the 3rd (you started benefits before May 1997, or you receive both Social Security and SSI): Thursday, December 3
- Born on the 1st to the 10th: Wednesday, December 9
- Born on the 11th to the 20th: Wednesday, December 16
- Born on the 21st to the 31st: Wednesday, December 23
If you are not sure which group you belong to, check your my Social Security account. The payment date printed there is the one that counts, and it follows this same schedule.
December 31 brings a second deposit — and the first COLA money
Here is the part that catches people off guard. On Thursday, December 31, 2026, two groups get paid again: SSI recipients and everyone in the 3rd-of-the-month group. That deposit is not December’s money. It is January’s payment, sent early.
January 1 is New Year’s Day, a federal holiday, and January 3 falls on a Sunday. So the SSA moves both January payments to the last business day of 2026. The result: two deposits in December, and no deposit at all in January for those two groups. The next SSI payment after December 31 does not arrive until February 1, 2027.
That December 31 deposit matters for another reason. It is the first payment to include the 3.6% COLA for 2027. SSI recipients see the higher amount a day before the year ends: the federal maximum rises from $994 to $1,029 a month for an individual, and from $1,491 to $1,544 for a couple.
Everyone else gets their first COLA check in January itself: January 13 if you were born on the 1st to the 10th, January 20 for the 11th to the 20th, and January 27 for the 21st to the 31st. No Wednesday payment in 2027 falls on a federal holiday, so those dates should hold exactly as printed.
How much bigger is the check?
The SSA announced the 3.6% adjustment on October 14, 2026, and it is the largest COLA since 2023. For the average retired worker, the monthly benefit rises from about $2,095 to about $2,170 — roughly $75 a month, or $900 over a full year. An aged couple in which both spouses receive benefits goes from about $3,238 to about $3,355, an increase of roughly $117 a month.
The average disabled worker‘s benefit rises from about $1,642 to about $1,701. And the maximum benefit for someone retiring at full retirement age climbs from $4,152 to $4,188 a month.
A COLA is a percentage, not a flat amount, so your own increase depends on your current benefit. Multiply your monthly payment by 1.036 for a rough estimate: a $1,500 benefit becomes about $1,554, and a $2,000 benefit becomes about $2,072. The exact figure is in your COLA notice, which the SSA is making available in my Social Security accounts from late November, with mailed notices following in early December.
One catch: the Medicare premium is still unknown
Before you spend the raise in your head, one number is still missing. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has not yet announced the 2027 Part B premium. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects it at $209.50 a month, up from $202.90, but that is a projection, not a final figure.
That matters because the Part B premium is deducted from most Social Security checks. If the final premium comes in higher than the projection, your net increase shrinks. Until CMS announces the official number, treat the $75 average as a gross figure, not money in hand.
What to do if your payment is late
Payments almost always arrive on the scheduled date, but if yours does not, wait three business days before calling the SSA. Banks process deposits at different speeds, and a one-day delay is usually on the bank’s side.
Two warnings worth repeating every December. First, the December 31 deposit is January’s money — budget it for January, or the month will run dry before February 1. Second, the COLA is automatic. Anyone who calls, texts or emails offering to “unlock” your increase for a fee is a scammer. The SSA never charges for a COLA, and it never asks for your Social Security number by text.
FAQ: Social Security December 2026 payment dates
When is my Social Security payment in December 2026?
It depends on your birth date. SSI is paid Tuesday, December 1. The 3rd-of-the-month group is paid Thursday, December 3. Birthdays on the 1st to the 10th are paid Wednesday, December 9; the 11th to the 20th on Wednesday, December 16; and the 21st to the 31st on Wednesday, December 23.
Why do some people get two Social Security payments in December 2026?
SSI recipients and the 3rd-of-the-month group receive their January 2027 payment early, on Thursday, December 31, 2026, because January 1 is a federal holiday and January 3 is a Sunday. That is January’s money, so those groups get no deposit in January.
When does the 3.6% COLA first show up in my check?
For SSI recipients and the 3rd-of-the-month group, the first increased payment is the December 31, 2026 deposit. For everyone paid on a Wednesday, it is January 13, 20 or 27, 2027, depending on birth date.
How much will my Social Security check go up in 2027?
By 3.6% of your current benefit. The average retired worker gains about $75 a month, from $2,095 to $2,170. Your exact amount is in your COLA notice, available in your my Social Security account from late November.
Is there a Social Security payment in January 2027 for SSI recipients?
No. SSI recipients receive their January payment on December 31, 2026, and their next deposit is February 1, 2027. Plan January’s budget around the December 31 payment.
Sources: Social Security Administration, Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2026 and 2027 (Publication No. 05-10031) — https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10031-2026.pdf
Social Security Administration, 2027 COLA Fact Sheet — https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/cola/factsheets/2027.html