Some Social Security Recipients Will Receive 2 Benefit Checks This Month

Because of how the calendar lines up this year, December will see two SSI payments—one arriving on Dec. 1 for December's benefits, and another on Dec. 31, for January's payment.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 12/3/2025, 2:04:24 AM EST

Some Social Security Recipients Will Receive 2 Benefit Checks This Month — A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington on March 26, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

A quirk of the calendar will result in some Americans who rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receiving two benefit checks by the end of December.

Here's what's happening: The Social Security Administration normally sends SSI payments on the first day of each month. But when that date lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the agency bumps the payment up to the last business day of the previous month so people can access their money before the new month starts and bills pile up.

This year, Dec. 1 fell on Monday, so recipients will get their December benefits right on schedule. But here's the kicker—Jan. 1, 2026, is a Thursday, which means the January payment will arrive early on Wednesday, Dec. 31. That gives SSI recipients two separate deposits, including their January payment, in December.

The same calendar shuffle happened back in October, when recipients got payments on both Oct. 1 and Oct. 31.

Who Gets These Payments

SSI serves about 7.4 million Americans. The program targets older adults with little to no income, people who are blind, and those with disabilities. Children with qualifying disabilities also qualify.

To be eligible, individuals can't earn more than $2,019 monthly from work. About one-third of SSI recipients also receive standard Social Security retirement benefits.

Paperless Payments

For recipients receiving these payments, the money doesn’t arrive by mail anymore. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March ending the federal government's issuance of paper checks, with a Sept. 30 compliance deadline.

In September, the Social Security Administration reported that more than 68 million Americans were receiving Social Security benefits overall. Of those, only about 390,000 people—roughly 0.6 percent—were still using paper checks.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment

The Social Security Administration announced that both SSI and Social Security benefits will jump by 2.8 percent next year.

This cost-of-living adjustment affects an estimated 75 million Americans receiving either Social Security or SSI payments. For people collecting standard Social Security retirement benefits, the bump adds up to roughly $56 more per month on average.

What's the Full Schedule?

SSI recipients can check the Social Security Administration's calendar for the complete payment schedule.

Those with questions about their eligibility or payment status can visit the Social Security website, head to their local Social Security office, or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on weekdays.