Up to $4018 in Social Security Arrives December 10 — Who Qualifies for This Payment

If you have seen the headline “Up to $4018 in Social Security Arrives December 10 Who Qualifies for This Payment”, it is talking about a regular monthly check, not a surprise bonus from the government. For a small group of retirees with very high lifetime earnings, that December 10, 2025 deposit can reach 4,018 dollars, while most people in this payment wave will receive closer to the national average benefit.​

When you read that Up to $4018 in Social Security Arrives December 10 Who Qualifies for This Payment, it simply means that December’s second‑Wednesday payment can be as high as 4,018 dollars for someone who has maximized their work record and claimed at full retirement age. This wave covers retirees and disability beneficiaries whose birthdays fall between the 1st and 10th of any month, and their deposits land by direct deposit, Direct Express card, or mailed check on that date under Social Security’s standard schedule. Even if your own benefit is smaller, this payment is still an important part of your end‑of‑year budget, especially because it is the last check before the next cost‑of‑living raise begins in January.​

Up to $4018 in Social Security Arrives December 10

December 2025 Payment Schedule

Social Security now pays most monthly benefits on a staggered schedule to spread deposits across the month, using your birthday to decide which Wednesday you are paid. In December 2025, that means you are paid on December 10 if your birthday is from the 1st to the 10th, on December 17 if it falls from the 11th to the 20th, and on December 24 if it is from the 21st to the 31st.​

People who started receiving benefits before May 1997 or who get both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income follow older rules and typically receive their Social Security payment on December 3, separate from this birthday‑based pattern. SSI itself is paid on December 1, with an extra deposit on December 31 that actually counts as the January 2026 benefit because January 1 is a federal holiday.

Who Can Receive The $4018 Maximum

• The phrase “Up to $4018 in Social Security Arrives December 10 Who Qualifies for This Payment” refers to the highest possible full‑retirement‑age benefit and qualifying for that level is not easy. You need at least 35 years of work in Social Security‑covered jobs, with earnings at or near the annual taxable maximum for most of those years, and you must wait until full retirement age to claim instead of filing early.​
• Someone who files as early as 62 in 2025 tops out at roughly 2,831 dollars a month, while waiting all the way until 70 can push the maximum to around 5,108 dollars thanks to delayed retirement credits. Most of the roughly 70 million people who receive Social Security, even in the December 10 payment group, therefore collect much less than the 4,018‑dollar headline amount and land closer to the national average benefit.

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How To Check Your Benefit And Plan Ahead

If you want to know exactly what you will receive on December 10, the most accurate source is your personal “my Social Security” account, where your current monthly benefit and next payment date are listed. That figure is calculated from your highest 35 years of indexed earnings and then adjusted depending on whether you claimed before, at, or after full retirement age, so the number you see there is what should arrive on your scheduled December date.​

Because this December 10 payment is the last one before the 2026 cost‑of‑living adjustment takes effect, it is a good moment to review your budget and see how the upcoming increase will affect your cash flow. Looking ahead to January, you may want to match your new benefit amount with regular bills like rent, utilities, prescriptions, and groceries so your Social Security check continues to cover your core needs as prices change.