December 2025 Social Security Payments: Double SSI Checks, 2026 COLA Raise and All the Key Dates Retirees Must Know

As of November 30, 2025, December is shaping up to be one of the most important months of the year for people who rely on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Here’s what’s happening, all at once:

Millions will get two SSI deposits in December 2025.
Most retirees will receive their final 2025 Social Security check in December, then see a 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) show up in January 2026.
SSI recipients will actually see that COLA a day early, on December 31, 2025.
The 2026 Social Security rules—from earnings limits to the payroll tax cap—are now finalized.
A temporary $200‑per‑month boost for 2026 is being debated in Congress, but is only a proposal so far. ^[1]

Below is a clear, news‑style breakdown you can actually plan around.

December 2025 Social Security and SSI Payment Schedule

The Social Security Administration (SSA) follows the same basic pattern every month:

SSI: Paid on the 1st of the month (or the last business day before, if the 1st is a weekend or federal holiday).
Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits:
- If you started getting benefits before May 1997 (or receive both Social Security and SSI), you’re paid on the 3rd of each month.
- Everyone else is paid on a Wednesday, based on their birthday.

For December 2025, multiple outlets including NorthJersey/USA TODAY and The Economic Times have laid out the dates, which match SSA’s official calendar. ^[2]

The exact December 2025 dates

SSI payments

Monday, December 1, 2025 – Regular December SSI payment.
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 – January 2026 SSI payment, sent early because January 1 is a federal holiday.

That means two SSI deposits in December—but the second one is really your January money arriving a day early, not a bonus. ^[3]

Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits

Wednesday, December 3 – For people who started receiving benefits before May 1997, or who get both Social Security and SSI. ^[4]
Wednesday, December 10 – If your birthday is on the 1st–10th of any month. ^[5]
Wednesday, December 17 – If your birthday is on the 11th–20th. ^[6]
Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) – If your birthday is on the 21st–31st. ^[7]

That Christmas Eve check is especially important for people using their benefits to cover holiday travel and year‑end bills.

If your payment is late
SSA’s official schedule notes that if you don’t receive your payment on the expected date, you should allow three additional mailing days (for mailed checks) before contacting Social Security. ^[8]

Why There Are Two SSI Checks in December 2025

This “double payment” story is what’s driving much of the coverage by NewsNation, USA TODAY and personal‑finance outlets right now.

The short version:

SSI is legally due on the 1st of each month.
When the 1st falls on a weekend or federal holiday, SSA pays on the last business day of the previous month. ^[9]
New Year’s Day 2026 is a federal holiday.
So the January 1, 2026 SSI payment gets bumped up to Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

Several sites (and viral social posts) frame this as a “bonus” or “extra check up to $1,491” in December, but that’s misleading. Financial planners stress that the December 31 deposit is January’s check, just arriving early. ^[10]

If you blow through the money in December, you’ll be short in early January.

How Much Will Benefits Rise With the 2026 COLA?

The SSA has officially confirmed a 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment for 2026, affecting about 75 million people receiving Social Security or SSI. ^[11]

According to SSA’s 2026 COLA fact sheet: ^[12]

Average retired worker benefit
- 2025: $2,015 per month
- 2026: $2,071 per month
- Increase: about $56
Maximum benefit for someone retiring at full retirement age
- 2025: $4,018
- 2026: $4,152
SSI Federal Payment Standard (federal maximum, before any state supplements)
- Individuals: from $967 to $994 (+$27)
- Eligible couples: from $1,450 to $1,491 (+$41) ^[13]

So if you currently:

Receive $1,000 per month, a 2.8% COLA adds about $28.
Receive $1,500 per month, the raise is about $42.
Receive $2,000 per month, the raise is about $56—in line with SSA’s average estimate. ^[14]

Who Sees the 2.8% Raise in December—and Who Has to Wait

This is where that Yahoo Finance / Money Digest–type analysis comes in: some people effectively get their first 2026 raise in December.

SSI recipients: COLA arrives December 31, 2025

SSA and multiple news outlets all agree:

The 2.8% increase for SSI first shows up in the payment issued December 31, 2025, which counts as January 2026’s benefit. ^[15]
That means SSI recipients see their new 2026 amount one day before the new year even starts.

So if you receive SSI only, December 1 will still reflect 2025 amounts (up to $967 / $1,450), and December 31 will show the new higher 2026 rate (up to $994 / $1,491). ^[16]

Social Security retirees, survivors and SSDI: COLA starts January 2026

If you receive retirement, survivor or disability benefits (but not SSI), your December 2025 check is the last one at 2025 rates.

Your first COLA‑boosted payment will be the one that arrives in January 2026 on your usual schedule:

January 3 – For those who started benefits before May 1997 or who also receive SSI.
Second Wednesday of January – Birthdays on the 1st–10th.
Third Wednesday – Birthdays on the 11th–20th.
Fourth Wednesday – Birthdays on the 21st–31st. ^[17]

This is what’s behind all the headlines about “why retirees might get their first 2026 COLA check in December”:

SSI‑only beneficiaries get the raise Dec. 31, 2025.
Retirees who also receive SSI will see the raised SSI payment on Dec. 31 and a higher Social Security check in January, giving them a one‑two boost. ^[18]

How Much Will Actually Hit Your Bank Account After Medicare?

Here’s the catch a lot of analyses are focusing on: Medicare Part B premiums are jumping in 2026, and that will eat into your COLA.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has confirmed that: ^[19]

The standard Medicare Part B premium will rise from $185.00 in 2025 to $202.90 in 2026.
That’s an increase of $17.90 per month, or about 9.7–10%.

Health policy groups like KFF and other analysts note that this is one of the larger premium jumps in recent years, and it comes on top of rising out‑of‑pocket costs for drugs and medical care. ^[20]

Put simply:

The average Social Security raise is about $56 per month.
For someone paying the standard Part B premium, nearly a third of that—$17.90—will be swallowed up by Medicare before the check ever lands in their bank account.

That’s one reason why some analysts argue the 2.8% COLA is “barely enough”, especially given that older Americans spend more of their budget on healthcare, where prices have risen faster than overall inflation. ^[21]

Big Rule Changes Coming With Social Security in 2026

The 2.8% COLA isn’t the only change. The 2026 COLA fact sheet also confirms several other adjustments that will affect workers and early retirees. ^[22]

Key changes for 2026 include:

Higher payroll tax cap
- Social Security payroll taxes will apply to wages up to $184,500, up from $176,100 in 2025.
- Workers earning above that threshold will see more of their income taxed for Social Security.
New earnings limits for early retirees
- If you are under full retirement age and still working, the annual earnings limit will rise to $24,480 (up from $23,400). Above that, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 you earn.
- In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit jumps to $65,160, with $1 withheld for every $3 over the limit, but only for earnings before your birthday month.
Higher disability thresholds
- “Substantial gainful activity” for non‑blind disabled workers increases to $1,690 per month, and for blind workers to $2,830 per month.

These updates help keep the program aligned with wages and prices—but they can also change how much you take home if you’re working while collecting benefits.

A Proposed $200 Monthly Boost: Where It Stands

There’s a lot of chatter about an extra $200 per month in Social Security payments for 2026. Here’s the reality:

A bill in Congress proposes an additional $200 per month for Social Security, SSDI, SSI, certain veterans and railroad retirees for six months in 2026 (January–July), for a total of $1,200. ^[23]
The idea is to provide “emergency relief” on top of the regular COLA because lawmakers and advocates worry that 2.8% doesn’t cover rising housing, food and healthcare costs. ^[24]
Important: This plan is still a proposal, not law. It must be passed by both the House and the Senate and signed by the president.

Until that happens, you should not budget as if the extra $200 is guaranteed. Treat any such stories as coverage of an ongoing legislative debate, not as an official benefit change.

Looking Ahead: December 2026 Social Security Payment Calendar

The SSA has already released its 2026 payment calendar, so you can peek ahead to December 2026. ^[25]

Unless Congress changes the law or the calendar is disrupted by emergencies, the rules will be very similar:

SSI
- December 1, 2026 – Regular December SSI payment.
- Likely December 31, 2026 – January 2027 SSI payment, paid early because New Year’s Day 2027 falls on a holiday, again triggering an advance deposit under the same “holiday” rule.
Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits (December 2026)
- December 3 – For pre‑May 1997 beneficiaries and people who receive both Social Security and SSI.
- December 9 – Birthdays on the 1st–10th.
- December 16 – Birthdays on the 11th–20th.
- December 23 – Birthdays on the 21st–31st.

We’ll see another “two SSI checks in December” pattern in 2026, just like this year, because the New Year holiday keeps getting in the way of the normal SSI schedule.

What Retirees and SSI Recipients Should Do Right Now

To make the most of this unusually busy Social Security month, experts recommend a few simple steps:

Confirm your exact payment dates
- Check the SSA calendar or the schedule above based on your birth date and whether you’re on SSI, Social Security, or both. ^[26]
Log in to your “my Social Security” or SSI account
- SSA is sending out COLA notices throughout December, but you can often see your 2026 benefit amount online earlier—handy for budgeting. ^[27]
Treat the December 31 SSI check as January money
- It’s tempting to think of it as a holiday bonus, but it really belongs to your January budget. Label it that way in your banking app or on paper.
Re‑check automatic payments
- If rent, utilities or debt payments hit your account early in the month, make sure your December 24 Social Security check or December 31 SSI deposit will be there in time—and that you’re not double‑spending January’s money in December.
Review your Medicare plan and health costs
- With Part B premiums rising to $202.90 and deductibles also going up, it’s worth looking at your Medicare Advantage or Medigap options while annual open enrollment windows are still available in some plans. ^[28]
Stay skeptical of “instant raise” or “bonus check” claims
- Scammers love to impersonate SSA, especially when COLA and double‑payment stories are in the news. SSA will never call to ask for your password or demand payment to “release” a benefit.

Bottom Line

December 2025 brings two SSI payments (Dec. 1 and Dec. 31), and one Social Security payment tied to your birth date (Dec. 3, 10, 17 or 24).
The 2.8% COLA for 2026 is official, but most retirees won’t see the higher Social Security amount until January; SSI recipients see it first on December 31.
A sharply higher Medicare Part B premium will trim the real‑world size of that raise.
And while a $200 monthly temporary boost is on the table in Congress, it remains a proposal, not a sure thing.

If you rely on these benefits, December is the month to check your dates, update your budget, and plan ahead—so that when the new year starts, your money is already where you need it to be.