Who will receive Social Security payments on January 2? Eligibility and 2026 COLA increase explained
Posted on: Jan 02, 2026 04:29 IST | Posted by: Hindustantimes
Social Security recipients will receive their first monthly payment of the year on Friday, January 2, which is designated as the beginning of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) calendar.
Here is all the information on the groups who will receive the payment on January 2:
Read more: Social Security Payment 2026: See the complete schedule for the year and key dates to remember
Benefit beneficiaries who began receiving retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or survivor payments before May 1997 will get paid on Friday, January 2, 2026.
According to Marca, the payment will also be combined to pay the Social Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries, aimed at low-income, low-resource Americans who are 65 or older or disabled.
Benefit amounts will rise beginning in January 2026. As part of the yearly cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), SSA revealed that beneficiaries will receive a 2.8% rise in their monthly payouts.
According to the SSA, this equates to an average monthly increase of $56 for retirement beneficiaries.
Retired employees received an average monthly benefit of $2,013.32 till the end of 2025; handicapped workers received an average monthly benefit of $1,588.52; and survivors received an average monthly benefit of $1,576.20.
Given that, all these previous amounts will be adjusted accordingly with the addition of the $56 COLA increase. To gain more insight and the exact details on the amount you will receive, see the COLA fact sheet published by SSA.
Read more: January 2026 Social Security payment schedule: Key dates and info for beneficiaries
Birthdates are used to determine the payment dates for beneficiaries who applied after May 1997.
Beneficiaries whose birthday is dated 1 to 10 of the month will receive the payment on Wednesday, January 14. Similarly, birthdays from 11th to 20th will receive payment on Wednesday, January 21, and birthdays from 21 to 31 is scheduled to receive payment on Wednesday, January 28.
The three Wednesday payment dates are as late as possible in January because the month starts on a Thursday. You may view the complete SSA payment schedule for 2026 on their online calendar.
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