Social Security beneficiaries who are paid on the 3rd of the month will receive their January 2027 payment early, on Thursday, December 31, 2026. It is the first check with the 3.6 percent cost-of-living increase built in, and it lands the same day as January’s Supplemental Security Income payment. A holiday and a weekend are behind the shift.
For the group paid on the 3rd, the answer to when the money arrives is December 31, and the answer to how much is the December benefit plus 3.6 percent. SSA’s 2026-27 payment-date calendar says people who received Social Security before May 1997, and people who receive both Social Security and SSI, are paid Social Security on the 3rd and SSI on the 1st. Anyone in either group should plan year-end bills around a deposit that comes three days ahead of the usual date.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do.
Get the Retirement Money Brief →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Why December 31 and not January 3?
The calendar explains it. January 3, 2027, falls on a Sunday, January 2 is a Saturday, and January 1 is New Year’s Day. SSA’s own rule says that when a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal public holiday, benefits are paid the business day before the due date.
Counting back from Sunday, January 3, the previous Saturday is not a business day and neither is Friday, January 1. The last business day before the due date is Thursday, December 31, which is why the paid-on-the-3rd group is paid then.
When does SSI arrive?
SSI normally arrives on the 1st, and January 1 is a holiday. An SSA notice in the Federal Register, set for publication on October 26, says SSI rates rise 3.6 percent for payments made for January 2027, paid on December 31, 2026.
SSA’s October 14 announcement says the same: increased SSI payments begin December 31, 2026. The agency says about 7.3 million people receive SSI. Those who get both benefits will see the two payments arrive on the same Thursday.
How big is the raise?
The 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is 3.6 percent. SSA says retirement benefits will rise by about $75 a month on average, and Commissioner Frank Bisignano said the agency will carry out the adjustment “for 76 million Americans.”
The Federal Register notice says Title II benefits increase for December 2026, payable in January 2027. For people paid on the 3rd, that January payment is the one coming on December 31, so the higher amount arrives before the new year begins.
When do the other January payments arrive?
Beneficiaries who are not in the paid-on-the-3rd group are paid on Wednesdays according to birth date. SSA’s calendar sets the second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the month for birthdays on the 1st to the 10th, the 11th to the 20th and the 21st to the 31st. In January 2027 those Wednesdays are:
- Birthdays on the 1st to the 10th: Wednesday, January 13
- Birthdays on the 11th to the 20th: Wednesday, January 20
- Birthdays on the 21st to the 31st: Wednesday, January 27
Kiplinger’s 2027 payment schedule lists the same three January dates.
When will the new amount be confirmed?
SSA says cost-of-living notices appear online in late November for people with a my Social Security account, and paper notices arrive by mail in December. Anyone without an account has to create one and enroll in paperless notices by November 18 to see the notice online.
The open question for people paid on the 3rd is whether the money will actually show up on December 31. SSA’s rule and SSI’s published date point to Thursday, and a payment that does not appear by then is the signal to ask the agency.
Paid on the 3rd and counting on January’s check?
A monthly payment that moves up to December 31 can throw off rent, a utility bill or an automatic transfer set for the first week of January. If the deposit is late or missing on Thursday, the next day is a holiday and the first business day after it is Monday, January 4.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit includes the 2026 payment calendar and a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment. The plan is built for the day a deposit does not show up, with the contacts and steps in order.
Get the late-deposit plan for the December 31 payment in The Social Security Check Protection Kit →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 21 Ways Retirees Can Raise $1,000 Fast Without a Job
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
