Social Security recipients who receive Supplemental Security Income benefits will receive one check on Dec. 1 and a second check on Dec. 31 for January 2026.
This is what you need to know about Social Security payments during the ongoing government shutdown.
Those receiving Supplemental Security Income checks will receive two checks during the calendar month of December.
According to the Social Security Administration’s calendar, December SSI payments are scheduled to be released on Monday, December 1. Then, on December 31, the check for January 2026 will go out.
SSI payments are usually issued on the first day of the month, but when the first day of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, payments are made early, as is the case in January (January 1 is New Year’s Day).
A similar situation occurred in October, when SSI recipients received payments on October 1 and October 31 because November 1 was a Saturday. Such a situation will not arise again until July 2026, when beneficiaries will receive checks on July 1 and July 31 because as per the SSA calendar, August 1 is a Saturday.
When are SSI payments sent for December? View the full 2026 payment schedule
SSI beneficiaries will be given two checks in December. This is because the first day of January 2026 is New Year’s Day.
Here are the SSI payment dates for the remainder of 2025 and 2026, according to the SSA calendar:
- Monday, December 1, 2025 (check for December 2025)
- Wednesday, December 31, 2025 (check for January 2026)
- Friday, January 30, 2026 (check for February 2026)
- Friday, February 27, 2026 (check for March 2026)
- Wednesday, April 1, 2026 (check for April 2026)
- Friday, May 1, 2026 (check for May 2026)
- Monday, June 1, 2026 (check for June 2026)
- Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (check for July 2026)
- Friday, July 31, 2026 (check for August 2026)
- Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (check for September 2026)
- Thursday, October 1, 2026 (check for October 2026)
- Friday, October 30, 2026 (check for November 2026)
- Tuesday, December 1, 2026 (check for December 2026)
What is SSI?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), administered by the Social Security Administration, provides benefits for people who have limited or no income or resources, who are age 65 or older, and who are blind or have a qualifying disability. According to the SSA website, children with qualifying disabilities are eligible for SSI. The agency says about 7.4 million Americans currently receive monthly SSI payments.
Adults who earn more than $2,019 monthly from work are generally not eligible for benefits. About one-third of SSI recipients also receive Social Security benefits.
To see if you are eligible for SSI, visit the Social Security website. You can also visit your local Social Security office in person, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) from 8 AM to 7 PM local time during the weekday.
Contributing: USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Mary Walrath-Holdridge
Mike Snyder is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, BlueSky, X, and email him mikegsnider , @mikegsnider.bsky.social , @mikesnider &msnider@usatoday.com
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