January 2026 Supplemental Security Income payments, worth up to $994, will be issued to recipients in 27 days.
SSI payments are typically issued on the first day of a month, though January’s payment will go out on Dec. 31. When the first of a month falls on a weekend or holiday, the latter being the case for January’s payment, SSI payments are issued on the last weekday of the previous month.
Beneficiaries are individuals with limited income who are either blind, aged 65 and older, or have a qualifying disability.
The amount beneficiaries receive varies based on several factors, including the number of people filing. For example, individual filers can receive up to $994, couples filing jointly can receive $1,491, and those providing essential care to SSI recipients can receive up to $498.
The January payments will be the first to reflect a cost-of-living adjustment for 2026. Payments have increased 2.8% from last year, when individual filers received up to $967.
In addition to the previous prerequisites for receiving SSI payments, recipients must also be U.S. citizens or noncitizens in one of the alien classifications granted by the Department of Homeland Security.
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Additionally, recipients must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and must not be absent from the United States for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days.
A full calendar for the Social Security Administration payments can be viewed on the agency’s website.