Social Security COLA 2026: Every year, the recipients of Social Security look forward to the announcement of the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), which keeps their benefits aligned with inflation. For 2026, the anticipated COLA is just about 2.7%, which is a bit higher than the 2.5% raise for 2025. This change is very important to many Americans, and it particularly applies to old people, as it enables them to have the same purchasing power with the help of rising living costs.
What Is COLA and Why Is It Important?
COLA is a yearly automatic addition to Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), aiming at giving relief to the people in case of inflation. It was put in place in 1975, and it has been ensuring that the changes in the cost of the basket of goods and services consumed by urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) is the measure used for the adjustment of the payments to the beneficiaries. Without COLA, people on fixed incomes would gradually lose their buying power.
Social Security COLA 2026: How Is the COLA Determined?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) comes up with the COLA decision after comparing the average CPI-W for the third quarter (July, August, and September) of the current year with that of the previous year. A COLA is then given to benefits starting from December in the case of a rise with payments issued in January. The expected rise of 2.7% in 2026 is tied to the inflation rate up to August 2025. This estimation may change when September CPI-W data is obtained.
Projected Impact on Beneficiaries
The finalization of the 2.7% COLA would mean that the average monthly benefit for a retired worker is $2,008 as of August 2025 would go up by roughly $54.22, making it about $2,062 per month. So, it would be the first time that the average benefit goes over $2,000.
“In January 2025, our model predicted that inflation would cool, and the COLA would come in at 2.1 percent,” the TSCL said in a press release. As a result, the League adjusted its COLA prediction upwards as inflation continued to rise over the last few months.
For example, the premium for Medicare Part B is anticipated to increase by 11%, which in most cases is going to lower considerably the net benefit rise for the recipients.
Government Shutdown May Delay 2026 Social Security COLA Announcement
Potential Delays Due to Government Shutdown
The announcement of the 2026 COLA could be delayed if the federal government shuts down. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which gathers the CPI-W data, would stop working during a shutdown, possibly leading to the postponement of the release of September’s CPI. Consequently, this delay may also influence the on-time calculation, as well as the announcement of the COLA, causing discomfort in beneficiaries’ financial planning.
Social Security COLA 2026: Suggested Modifications in COLA Calculation
Currently, the adjustments of the base used for the calculation of COLA are the object of much discussion. The use of the chained Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (C-CPI-W) is just one of the suggested alternatives, which takes into account the changes in consumer behavior caused by price changes. This modification would likely reduce yearly COLA by about 0.3 percentage points on average. Also, starting December 2026, there is a plan to attach 1 percentage point to the yearly COLA of the beneficiaries who have reached a certain age, so as to provide extra support to the elderly.
