Social Security Payment Schedule for December and January Announced by SSA

In December, Social Security recipients will receive their monthly payments, as announced by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The distribution schedule depends on the claimant’s birth date and the type of benefits they receive, which include retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.

According to the SSA, payments are typically disbursed throughout the month based on birth dates. For instance, recipients born on the 1st to the 10th of any month will receive their payment on December 13. Those born on the 11th to the 20th will get their payment on December 20, while those with birth dates from the 21st to the 31st will be paid on December 27.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, including elderly, blind, and disabled individuals with limited incomes, usually receive their payments at the beginning of each month. This month, SSI payments, along with Social Security payments for individuals eligible since before July 1997, were issued on December 1. In addition, these recipients and those receiving both SSI and Social Security benefits are scheduled to receive January’s payment on December 29, due to January 1 being a holiday.

In a 2022 blog post, the SSA clarified, «We do this to avoid putting you at a financial disadvantage and make sure that you don’t have to wait beyond the first of the month to get your payment. It does not mean that you are receiving a duplicate payment in the previous month, so you do not need to contact us to report the second payment.»

The SSA advises beneficiaries to wait three working days before reaching out if their payment has not arrived as expected. The payments in 2025 will reflect the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), rising by 2.5% as announced by Martin O'Malley, the Social Security commissioner. This follows a previous increase of 3.2% due to high inflation in 2024. COLA adjustments help maintain the purchasing power of recipients as inflation rates fluctuate.

Martin O’Malley emphasized during the announcement in October that, «Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool.»