Social Security will send December benefits on four dates set by the agency’s 2026 payment calendar: December 3 for longtime and dual beneficiaries, then December 9, 16 and 23 for everyone else, depending on the day of the month each person was born. Supplemental Security Income goes out first, on Tuesday, December 1.
The December deposits are the last ones at this year’s benefit level for Social Security retirees and disabled workers. The 3.6% cost-of-living raise for 2027 starts showing up in January, while SSI recipients see their raise a little sooner.
The December 2026 Social Security calendar by birth date
The agency’s 2026 payment schedule lists the December dates this way:
- Tuesday, December 1: SSI payments.
- Thursday, December 3: Social Security for people who started getting benefits before May 1997, and for people who receive both Social Security and SSI.
- Wednesday, December 9: birth dates from the 1st through the 10th.
- Wednesday, December 16: birth dates from the 11th through the 20th.
- Wednesday, December 23: birth dates from the 21st through the 31st.
A retiree born on the 14th is in the December 16 group. A retiree born on the 27th waits until December 23, two days before Christmas.
Inside the kit: For anyone tracking the December 1, 3, 9, 16 and 23 deposits, the 2026 payment calendar and a first-24-hours plan for a payment that never arrives sit side by side, so each household can match its date to the next step if the money is missing. Open The Social Security Check Protection Kit.
Why the December deposit does not include the 3.6% raise
The agency’s cost-of-living page says Social Security and SSI benefits will rise 3.6% for 2027. For Social Security, the increase begins with benefits payable in January 2027, which covers nearly 72 million beneficiaries.
That means the December 3, 9, 16 and 23 deposits are paid at the 2026 rate. The first Social Security payments at the new rate come in January. The 2027 payment calendar lists the birthday-group dates as January 13, 20 and 27.
A common error is to budget the raise into December. A retiree who expects a bigger December deposit and sets bills around it can come up short for most of a month.
The same timing applies to people who were born early in the month. A beneficiary in the December 9 group will not see the higher amount until the January 13 deposit, more than a month after the cost-of-living figure was announced in October.
SSI recipients get two deposits in December
SSI works differently. The December 1 payment covers December. The agency says increased SSI payments to about 7.3 million recipients begin December 31, 2026. The 2027 calendar lists SSI’s January payment on January 1, a federal holiday, so the first payment at the new 2027 amount lands on the last day of December instead.
That puts two SSI deposits in December, but it is not an extra payment. The December 31 deposit is meant to cover January, and the 2027 calendar lists no other SSI payment date in January. Recipients who spend both December deposits in December can find themselves with nothing new until February.
How to see the 2027 benefit amount before January
Social Security says COLA notices will be available online in late November for people who set up a my Social Security account by November 18. The new 2027 amount also shows up in December through the mailed COLA notice and the account’s Message Center.
The notice matters for more than the headline raise. It is the agency’s own statement of the 2027 monthly amount, and it is the figure to use when planning January bills rather than an estimate worked out from the 3.6% figure.
What to do if a December payment does not arrive
The payment schedule tells beneficiaries to allow three additional mailing days after the expected date before contacting Social Security about a missing payment. For a December 23 deposit, that pushes a first call past Christmas, so anyone in that group who depends on the payment for holiday bills has little room if something goes wrong.
Checking the bank account on the scheduled date, rather than at the end of the week, gives the most time to act. Anyone who has closed or changed a bank account since the last deposit should also confirm that Social Security has the new account on file before the December date arrives.
December deposits and the days after a missed one
Social Security’s calendar spreads December benefits across December 1, 3, 9, 16 and 23, and its only instruction for a payment that does not show up is to wait three more mailing days. For the December 23 group, that waiting period runs straight into the holiday, when offices are closed and bills are still due.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit lays out the 2026 payment calendar next to a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment, so each step can be checked off in order.
See the first-24-hours plan in The Social Security Check Protection Kit.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy against Social Security Administration payment calendars and cost-of-living guidance.
Nathaniel Cross focuses on retirement planning, employer benefits, and long-term income security. His writing covers pensions, social programs, investment vehicles, and strategies designed to protect financial independence later in life. At The Daily Overview, Nathaniel provides practical insight to help readers plan with confidence and foresight.
