Why Retirees Might Get Their First 2026 COLA Check In December

As a retiree, one of the key things you should know about your Social Security benefits is when the payments will arrive. Seniors who rely on Social Security know the importance of receiving the payment on the promised date each month, as it helps them maintain financial wellness, according to research at the Universities of Nebraska-Lincoln and Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (via CNBC). Anxiety about receiving Social Security payments on time rose in 2025 in response to government spending cuts.

For some retirees who are anxious about late Social Security payments, there is a bit of good news, with an earlier-than-normal deposit scheduled for the end of the 2025 calendar year. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), seniors who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will receive their money for January 2026 on December 31, 2025, which is one day earlier than normal. Since this is the first deposit for calendar year 2026, it will include the 2.8% 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase.

SSI benefits are typically paid on the first day of the month. So, why are people who qualify for SSI receiving this payment a day earlier than normal? Considering January 1 is a federal holiday, the SSA is ensuring people don't have to wait until January 2 to receive their deposit. This happens every year because January 1 is always a federal holiday. The SSA estimates 7.5 million people will receive the early SSI payment on December 31. 

Even though SSI beneficiaries will receive their first 2026 payments (with COLA included) a day before 2026 begins, standard Social Security payments won't arrive on the same day. That's because Social Security payments occur on a different date than SSI deposits.

Depending on the date of your birth, you could receive your Social Security payment on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month. People born between the 11th and 20th of any month receive a deposit on the third Wednesday, for example. If the payment date falls on a federal holiday, the Social Security payment will occur a day earlier than scheduled. For those who began receiving Social Security payments before May 1997, a grandfather agreement applies, allowing them to receive their deposit on the 3rd of each month.

Unlike SSI, no regular Social Security payments are scheduled for January 1, 2026, so none will be bumped back to December 31, 2025. Social Security recipients will see their 2.8% COLA increase with the regularly scheduled dates of their January 2026 deposit. This COLA increase will raise the average Social Security income by about $56 more per month in 2026 compared to 2025, for a total of $2,071 per month. The average SSI recipient should receive an extra $27 monthly thanks to COLA, for a total of $994 per month.