Millions of Americans were expecting their Social Security check yesterday, Dec. 10, as the SSA pushed out its third round of payments for December. The agency’s calendar looks simple on paper, but every month it triggers the same question: who gets paid when, and why does the timing change depending on your history with Social Security?
Yesterday’s run covered retirement, SSDI and survivor beneficiaries tied to a very specific rule the SSA has used for years. Instead of one national payday, the agency sorts people by birthdate and spreads payments across three Wednesdays. For most households, that means keeping track of a date that moves almost every month.
Social Security check distribution for Dec. 10
The Dec. 10 payments went to beneficiaries with birthdays between the 1st and 10th. That’s the first of the three Wednesday waves for people who started receiving retirement, SSDI or survivor benefits after May 1997. The next rounds land on Dec. 17 and Dec. 24, closing out everyone born from the 11th to the 31st.
Those who claimed benefits before May 1997 follow a different pattern. Their money does not depend on birthdate at all; it simply arrives on the third day of each month. Because of that, this group was already paid for December last week, on Dec. 3.
Supplemental Security Income operates separately. SSI recipients got their December payment on Dec. 1. Anyone who receives both SSI and regular Social Security received SSI on the 1st and then their Social Security payment on Dec. 3. No exceptions there.
Payment windows that don’t follow birthdays
SSI went out on Dec. 1. Pre-May 1997 Social Security benefits went out on Dec. 3. Dual beneficiaries received SSI on Dec. 1 and Social Security on Dec. 3.
Retired workers currently collect an average payment of $2,012.30 per month. That figure reflects the SSA’s latest published numbers, based on October data. Disability beneficiaries receive an average of $1,588.44. Survivors are just slightly below that, at $1,575.89 per month. SSI beneficiaries are well under the other categories, averaging $717.51 monthly.
These averages shift slightly month to month, but this is the baseline the agency is reporting as it moves toward the 2026 adjustment.
COLA changes coming in 2026
The SSA confirmed a 2.8% cost-of-living increase for 2026. For someone on retirement benefits, that means roughly $56 more per month on average. The first people to see this change won’t actually be January recipients; it will be SSI beneficiaries, whose January payment will be sent out on Dec. 31 because New Year’s Day is a federal holiday.
Paper checks are no longer the default. The agency now requires recipients to choose an electronic option. Most people use direct deposit by linking their bank account through the “my Social Security” portal. The SSA still allows alternative electronic methods, but direct deposit remains the standard for nearly every new beneficiary.
What to expect for the rest of December
If your birthday falls between the 11th and 20th, the agency will send your payment next Wednesday, Dec. 17. Birthdays from the 21st through the 31st are scheduled for Dec. 24. Everyone else has already been paid this month under the SSI or early-beneficiary rules.
For millions, December ends up being the most confusing month of the year because of holidays and rolling mid-week dates. But the pattern is unchanged: SSI on the 1st, early beneficiaries on the 3rd, then the three Wednesday groups based strictly on birthdate. Once January begins, the new COLA increase will enter into effect, and electronic payments will continue as the only method for nearly all Social Security checks.