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SSI in 2027: the new amounts and the December 31 payment

SSA has announced a 3.6 percent increase for 2027. Here's what changes for the person you're payee for, when the notice comes, and why December will show two SSI deposits.

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SSI goes up 3.6 percent in 2027. The federal SSI amount becomes $1,029 a month for one person, up from $994, and $1,544 for an eligible couple, up from $1,491. SSA announced the increase on October 14, 2026.

The first SSI payment at the new amount arrives on December 31, 2026. Social Security benefits go up by the same 3.6 percent beginning in January 2027.

What the person will actually receive

$1,029 is the federal amount before anything is taken off. SSA figures the monthly payment by reducing that amount by the person's countable income. So someone with other income, including Social Security, receives less than the full figure, and their own number may not rise by the full $35.

The resource limit doesn't move. It stays at $2,000 for one person and $3,000 for a couple in 2027, the same as in 2026.

For the exact new amount, wait for the notice. SSA says the COLA notice for Social Security beneficiaries is a single page that gives the exact dates and dollar amounts of the new benefit and any deductions.

When the notice comes

Notices go out by mail in December to anyone not signed up for paperless notices.

With a personal my Social Security account, the notice can be read online starting in late November, up to three weeks before the paper one arrives. SSA says someone who doesn't have an account yet needs to create one and enroll in paperless notices by November 18 to see the notice online.

Either way, keep the notice with the person's records. It's the document that explains why January's deposits look different from December's.

Two SSI payments in December

SSI is paid on the 1st of the month. When the 1st falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, the payment is dated for the business day before. January 1 is a holiday, so January's SSI always arrives in December. In 2026 that's Thursday, December 31.

So the bank statement for December will show two SSI deposits: December's on the 1st and January's on the 31st. The second one isn't extra money. It's January's payment, a day early.

SSA's rules treat it that way too. A payment dated early because of a weekend or holiday counts as income in the month it would normally have arrived. SSA's own manual uses this exact case: the January check is dated in December, and it's considered paid in January. The same section says such funds are first looked at as resources in the month after the month of normal receipt.

What that means for the $2,000 limit

SSA counts resources as of the first moment of each month. Because the December 31 deposit is January's income, it isn't counted toward the limit at the first moment of January. Whatever is left of it when February begins does count.

An example with round numbers. Say the person gets the full $1,029. On December 30 the benefits account holds $1,400, and nothing else comes in or goes out before the new year. January's payment lands on the 31st, and on New Year's Day the balance shows $2,429.

The figure that counts toward the limit at the first moment of January is $1,400. The $1,029 is January's income, there to pay January's rent and groceries. What remains of the whole balance at the end of January is what SSA counts on February 1.

Two small habits help. On the December statement, write "January" beside the December 31 deposit, so it's clear later which month it belonged to. And if you ever need to tell SSA the balance on January 1, say that it includes January's payment that arrived early.

In PayeeKit

If you've set up the SSI deposit as a scheduled entry in PayeeKit, change its amount once the notice arrives, and scan the notice into the person's Documents so it's there when you total the year.

PayeeKit's resource watch counts every entry dated in December. If you record January's payment on December 31, the day it arrived, the watch's projection for January 1 includes it. SSA counts that payment as January's income, so subtract it when you read the projection. A scheduled SSI deposit set for the 1st is dated January 1, so it isn't in that projection.

Sources

PayeeKit is an iPhone ledger for family representative payees and guardians. See how it works.

This post is general information, not advice about anyone's situation. SSA decides what affects a person's benefits, and your notices and SSA's own pages are the final word.