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As Social Security turns 90, Congress faces financial deadline<\/p>\n
Social Security has a cash flow problem. For years, the agency has been paying out more benefits than it takes in via payroll taxes.<\/p>\n
Scripps News<\/p>\n
Social Security payments<\/a> follow a normal schedule in December and will be the last check before\u00a0the upcoming cost-of-living increase takes effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n Social Security<\/a>\u00a0benefits \u2013 paid mostly to recipients who are older or retired \u2013 are typically paid on Wednesdays. If your birthday falls between the first and 10th days of the month, your payments are issued on the second Wednesday of the month (this month, that lands on Dec. 10), according to the\u00a0Social Security Administration\u2019s calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th get paid on the third Wednesday (Dec. 17), and those born after the 20th of the month are paid on the fourth Wednesday of the month (Dec. 24), according to the\u00a0SSA calendar<\/a>. Social Security recipients who began getting benefits before May 1997 are paid on Dec. 3.<\/p>\n Following the December payments, recipients will get bigger checks, thanks to a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment<\/a>, or COLA, increase. Payments will rise by about $56, on average, per month, when the COLA takes effect in January 2026, the\u00a0Social Security Administration said<\/a>.<\/p>\n