December will be a special month for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will make two SSI deposits, and the second one will be the first payment with the 3.6% COLA confirmed for 2027.
Retirees and disability beneficiaries will follow the usual calendar, with three Wednesday payments before Christmas.
December 2026 payment dates
- Tuesday, December 1 | SSI payment for December.
- Thursday, December 3 | beneficiaries since before May 1997 and those who receive SSI and Social Security.
- Wednesday, December 9 | birthdays from the 1st to the 10th.
- Wednesday, December 16 | birthdays from the 11th to the 20th.
- Wednesday, December 23 | birthdays from the 21st to the 31st.
- Thursday, December 31 | SSI payment for January 2027 and payment of the 3rd-of-month group for January.
Why December 31 is so important
January 1, 2027 is New Year’s Day, and January 3 falls on a Sunday. For this reason, the SSA will deposit on Thursday, December 31 both the SSI payment and the Social Security payment of those who have been receiving benefits since before May 1997. These deposits correspond to January and will already include the COLA.
For an SSI recipient with the maximum amount, the December 1 payment will be $994 and the December 31 payment will be $1,029.
The rest of beneficiaries will wait until January
Most retirees and SSDI beneficiaries will see the increase on January 13, 20 or 27, depending on their birthday. The December payments on the 9th, 16th and 23rd still use the 2026 amounts.
Notices with the new amount
Paper COLA notices are mailed throughout December. Those who prefer to see them online can do so earlier if they have a my Social Security account with digital notices, as long as they meet the November 18 deadline.
Before December, the November payments will arrive on the 3rd, 10th, 18th and 25th, as detailed in our November calendar.
