If you’re receiving Social Security benefit payments, and you rely on those benefits arriving on time so you can pay your bills and get the things you need, don’t worry. We’ve got all the information you need to know about when you will get your benefit payment and what to do if your payment is late right here in this article.
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a system based on birth dates to disburse Social Security benefit payments each month. The 2023 Social Security payment schedule shows when all these benefits should arrive so that you can plan your monthly budget. It’s important to understand how the Social Security 2023 payment schedule works so that you won’t run out of money or end up having to pay bills late. This guide has everything you need to know about the 2023 Social Security payment schedule for December.
The Social Security payment schedule for 2023 pays benefits to each month on set dates that are determined by your date of birth. This chart shows the exact payment dates for Social Security payments in 2023.
Month
Birth dates on the 1st-10th
Birth dates on the 11th-20th
Birth dates on the 21st-31st
January
1/11
1/18
1/25
February
2/8
2/15
2/22
March
3/8
3/15
3/22
April
4/12
4/19
4/26
May
5/10
5/17
5/24
June
6/14
6/21
6/28
July
7/12
7/19
7/26
August
8/9
8/16
8/23
September
9/13
9/20
9/27
October
10/11
10/18
10/25
November
11/8
11/15
11/22
December
12/13
12/20
12/27
December Social Security benefit payment amounts depend on what type of Social Security benefit you receive. In 2023, the maximum Social Security benefit payment amounts for each type of benefit are as follows:
SSI maximum benefit: $914 for an individual, $1,371 for a couple.
SSDI maximum benefit: $3,627 but the average payment is $1,486.
Retiree benefit amount: $3,627 at full retirement age.
To find out just how much you specifically could be receiving each month via Social Security benefits, use our Social Security Benefits Calculator.
When it comes to specific benefit payment dates, the type of Social Security benefit you receive makes a difference. Keep reading below for more information on the date you’ll receive your Social Security check for your specific type of benefit in December 2023.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments are sent based on your date of birth. You will receive your payment either on the second, third, or last Wednesday in the month based on the date of your birthday:
If you were born between the 1st and the 10th of your birth month, you will receive your SSDI payment on the second Wednesday of December. This means that you’ll receive your December SSDI payment on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
If you were born between the 11th and the 20th of your birth month, you will receive your SSDI payments on the third Wednesday of each month. This means that you’ll receive your December SSDI payment on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.
If you were born between the 21st and the 31st of your birth month, you will receive your SSDI payments on the fourth Wednesday of each month. This means that you’ll receive your December SSDI payment on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
While most payments are sent out by the SSA on a schedule based on the birthday of the person receiving benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments are always mailed out to arrive on the first of each new month—regardless of the birth date of the person receiving the benefit. SSI payments arrive either on the 1st of the month or the business day closest to the 1st of the month. Since December 1st is a Friday this year, your SSI payment should arrive on Friday, December 1st, 2023.
Retirement benefits are also distributed according to your date of birth. The retirement benefit payment dates for December 2023 are:
If you were born between the 1st and the 10th of your birth month, your Social Security retirement benefits will arrive on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
If you were born between the 11th and the 20th of your birth month, your Social Security retirement benefits will arrive on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.
If you were born between the 21st and the 31st of your birth month, your Social Security retirement benefits will arrive on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
Survivor benefit payment dates follow the same schedule as other payment dates with payments arriving on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month. But Survivor benefit payments are based on the date of the birth of the deceased person, not the survivor.
December 2023 has an extra payment date for people who receive SSI. Because SSI payments are sent to arrive on the first of the month (or the closest business day to the first of the month), anyone receiving SSI will receive two SSI payments in December 2023. Thus, given that January 1st is a holiday, people who receive SSI can expect to receive their SSI payment check for January 2024 on December 29th, 2023. The SSI payment for January 2024 will also include the COLA for 2024 so it will be higher than the SSI payment for December 2023.
If you live in Pennsylvania, you may qualify for a $650 rebate check, but your claim for this rebate must be made before December 29, 2023. You can contact the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue to apply or apply on their website.
The Social Security Administration sends payments intending for them to arrive on a set Wednesday of each month (dependent on the recipient’s birthday), but some things can cause checks to be delayed. For instance, postal delays, and bad weather, among other factors can cause your Social Security payment to be late.
Late payments are often a problem in December as a result of the busy holiday mail season. Given the fact that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is exceptionally busy with holiday mail during December, your December 2023 Social Security payment might be late.
If you want to be sure that you receive your December Social Security payment on time so you can plan your monthly budget and holiday spending, the best thing you can do is sign up for the SSA’s Direct Deposit. To do so, you can login to your “my Social Security” account and then opt into the SSA’s Direct Deposit system.
Signing up for Direct Deposit ensures that your monthly benefits are deposited directly into your checking or savings account—evading the USPS system and potential mailing delays. Ultimately, the SSA’s Direct Deposit arranges for and ensures that your benefits will arrive on time each month. Direct Deposits are made on the Wednesday you should receive your benefit payment according to your date of birth.
If you don’t have a checking or savings account, you can sign up for the Social Security Administration’s Direct Express® card. This card is a pre-paid card that works like a credit card—meaning that you can use it in the same way(s) that you’d use a credit card. If you choose to sign up for the SSA’s Direct Express® card, the funds from your monthly Social Security benefit would be deposited directly onto your card on your usual payment date each month.
If you receive your monthly Social Security disability checks via mail and your payment is late, the best thing to do is wait a day or two. This is because a postal delay has probably caused your check to be a little late. However, if you’ve waited a day or two and your check still hasn’t arrived, you should contact the Social Security Administration directly.
If you receive your Social Security benefit payment via Direct Deposit or the SSA’s Direct Express® card and it’s late, you should contact the SSA immediately. You can contact the SSA by calling them toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to report a missing, stolen, or late payment. You can also contact your local Social Security office.
If you are eligible for Social Security disability back pay—because you were approved for Social Security disability benefits—but are still owed back pay, you will usually receive your back pay in a lump sum around 60 days after your approval date. However, back pay is only paid through direct deposit so you will need a bank account or the SSA’s pre-paid Direct Express® card to receive it.
Every year the SSA increases the amount of benefits by a set amount to help offset the increased costs of essentials. The COLA for 2024 is 3.2%. This means that all Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2% starting in January 2024.
However, SSI recipients will reap the rewards of the 2024 COLA increase in December 2023. This is because SSI recipients will get a second SSI payment in December 2023 for January 2024, and that second payment will include the 2024 COLA increase. This double-payment only applies to SSI because SSI payments are made the first of each month—or the closest business day to the first of the month. Since January 1st is a holiday, people that receive SSI benefits will receive their January 2024 SSI payment on December 29th, 2023. Since the Social Security benefit payments for January 2024 must account for the 2024 COLA increase, your second SSI payment (arriving on December 29th) will be $941 for an eligible individual and $1,415 for a couple.
After your application for disability benefits is approved, there is a five-month waiting period before your benefits begin unless you qualify for the SSA’s Compassionate Allowance Program. In other words, unless you qualify for disability via a Compassionate Allowance, your disability benefits will start the sixth month after your approval from the SSA.
However, it is important to note that, if you had to wait more than five months from the date of your initial application submission to the date you ultimately got approved by the SSA for benefits, those 5+ months would fulfill the mandatory 5-month waiting period. In that case, you will start to receive your disability benefits 30-60 days after your approval.
Once you are approved for benefits and your paperwork is processed, your disability benefits will be sent to you based on the SSA’s standard payment schedule—mainly based on the date you were born. If you are receiving SSI—and not SSDI or another type of Social Security benefit—your monthly benefits will start on the first of the month following your approval.
To wrap up this article, here are some of the most important things we addressed throughout this article that we think are worth remembering—especially when it comes to SSI and SSDI payments:
All SSI payments are made on the 1st of the month, or on the closest business day to the 1st of the month.
And
All other Social Security benefits are paid on this schedule that is based on the date that you were born:
If you were born on the 1st – 10th you will receive benefits on the second Wednesday of the month.
If you were born on the 11th-20th you will receive benefits on the third Wednesday of the month.
If you were born on the 21st-31st you will receive benefits on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
December 2023 Social Security benefit payment pay dates are the same as other months in 2023. The only difference is that, if you receive SSI, you will get an extra payment in December because January 1, 2024 is a holiday. People who receive SSI will get their January 2024 SSI payment on December 29th, 2023. That payment will include the 3.2% COLA increase for January 2024.
It’s important for anyone who relies on Social Security benefits to understand the SSA’s payment schedule so they can budget their money and make sure bills get paid on time. If you have any questions about your December 2023 Social Security payment—or if your payment doesn’t arrive on time—you should contact the Social Security Administration. To get your Social Security benefits faster you should use direct deposit or sign up for the SSA’s pre-paid card so that you won’t have to worry about postal delays causing your benefit check to be late.
