Social Security payments will land on unusual dates this December, but beneficiaries won't lose a month's check and instead will see some money earlier than usual.
Calendar Brings Double SSI Payments In Winter
For the roughly 7.5 million people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the calendar causes the biggest shift. SSI normally arrives on the first of the month, but because Jan. 1, 2026, is a federal holiday, the Social Security Administration will send January's SSI benefit on Dec. 31, 2025, after the regular Dec. 1 payment.
February's SSI check will also come early, on Jan. 30, 2026, because February 1 falls on a Sunday, following the agency's long-standing rule to pay on the prior business day. That means SSI recipients will see two deposits in December and two in January, but none in February's first week.
Retirement And Disability Checks Stay Unchanged
Traditional retirement and disability benefits will follow their usual pattern, tied to birthdays. These payments go out on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on when beneficiaries were born, a schedule the SSA says will continue into 2026.
COLA Raise Somewhat Offset By Medicare Hikes
The late-December payment will also be the first to reflect next year's cost-of-living adjustment for SSI. Social Security's 2026 COLA is 2.8%, lifting the average retired worker's benefit by about $56 a month and reaching nearly 71 million beneficiaries, according to the SSA. SSI recipients see that increase in the Dec. 31 check, while regular Social Security beneficiaries will see higher payments in January.
It is worth noting that higher Medicare costs will offset some of that raise. The standard Medicare Part B premium for 2025 is $185 a month, up $10.30 from 2024, and the annual Part B deductible will rise to $257, a $17 increase, federal data shows.
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