Social Security recipients who get Supplemental Security Income benefits will get a check on Dec. 1 and will get another on Dec. 31, for January 2026.
How the government shutdown is affecting Social Security
This is what to know about Social Security payments during the ongoing government shutdown.
Those who get Supplemental Security Income checks will get two checks during the calendar month of December.
December SSI payments are scheduled to go out on Monday, Dec. 1, according to the Social Security Administration’s calendar. Then, on Dec. 31, a check for January 2026 will go out.
SSI payments are typically issued on the first day of the month, but payments go out early when the first of the month lands on a weekend or a holiday, as it does in January (Jan. 1 is a New Year’s Day).
A similar situation happened in October, with SSI recipients getting payments on Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, because Nov. 1 was a Saturday. The situation won’t arise again until July 2026, when beneficiaries will get checks on July 1 and July 31 because Aug. 1 is a Saturday, according to the SSA calendar.
When are SSI payments sent out for December? See the full 2026 payment schedule
SSI beneficiaries will two checks in December. That’s because the first day of January 2026 is New Year’s Day.
Here are the dates for SSI payments for the rest of 2025 and 2026, according to the SSA calendar:
- Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 (Check for December 2025)
- Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 (Check for January 2026)
- Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 (Check for February 2026)
- Friday, Feb. 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, Sept. 1, 2026 (Check for September 2026)
- Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 (Check for October 2026)
- Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 (Check for November 2026)
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026 (Check for December 2026)
What is SSI?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is administered by the Social Security Administration, provides benefits for those with limited or no income or resources, those aged 65 or older, and those who are blind or have a qualifying disability. Children with a qualifying disability are eligible for SSI, according to the SSA website. About 7.4 million Americans currently get monthly SSI payments, the agency says.
Adults who earn more than $2,019 from work monthly, typically do not qualify for benefits. About one-third of SSI recipients also get Social Security benefits.
To see if you are eligible for SSI, visit the Social Security website. You can also go in person to your local Social Security office, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time during the work week.
Contributing: USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Mary Walrath-Holdridge
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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