If you’re waiting for your monthly Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) check for December, good news: It will soon be arriving in your bank account, if everything goes as scheduled by the Social Security Administration (SA).
Below, we explain everything about the payment schedule and how the dates are determined so you know when you should receive your money, and about who qualifies to receive SSDI benefit payments.
SSDI is a cornerstone of the American labor market
SSDI is a program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that provides financial support to people with disabilities that affect their ability to work. Depending on each situation, some family members may also qualify for these benefits.
While payments are usually timely, issue dates vary depending on when you started receiving benefits or your date of birth. Additionally, many beneficiaries are curious about how the 2025 cost of living adjustment (COLA) could impact their payments next year, something the SSA is already preparing.
Those who started receiving SSDI before May 1997 receive their payments on this date
If your benefits started before May 1997, you’re most likely used to receiving your check on the third day of each month. However, there is an exception: if that day falls on a weekend or holiday, payments are advanced to the nearest business day.
For example, let’s look at the case of March 2024: on that particular occasion, the third day of the month fell on a Friday, allowing beneficiaries to receive their money two days earlier, on the first day of the month. In December 2024, the third day falls on a Monday, so you shouldn’t expect any changes to your usual payment date.
If you started receiving payments after May 1997, your payment date is different
If you started claiming payments after May 1997, the payment dates depend on your day of birth. There are three dates each month, which are determined to be on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month.
That said, in December 2024, the payment dates for SSDI are as follows:
- From 1 to 10 Second Wednesday of the month, which is December 11.
- From 11 to 20 Third Wednesday of the month which is December 18
- From 21 to 31 Fourth Wednesday of the month. As established, it should be on December 25, but that’s a federal holiday, and it’s gonna be moved to December 24.
Get ready to get paid with a raise in 2025
Remember that starting in 2025, the cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase will adjust payments to compensate for the rising cost of living. This could mean a bigger check next year, but it doesn’t affect December payments.
The increase approved by the SSA, based on the cost of living indicator known as CPI-W, will be 2.5%, that is, for every $100 you received during 2024, you will receive an additional $2.5, that is, for every $1,000 , the agency will add $25 to each monthly check.