Social Security payments are annually adjusted through COLA. Recipients are eagerly waiting for the 2026 COLA adjustment, which will be announced this month. If you are wondering about the 2026 COLA, you can check the expected increase here.
Social Security 2026 COLA
The Social Security Administration annually adjusts the benefit payment through Cost-of-Living-Adjustments to ensure the payment aligns with rising inflation and benefits the recipients. The administration announced the COLA for the next year in mid-October 2025.
So, the recipients eagerly await the 2026 COLA announcement to know if their payouts are increasing from January 2026. As per the reports and forecasts from TSCL and the board of trustees, COLA can be increased by 2.7% in 2026, higher than 2025 2.5% adjustment.
The COLA calculation requires the third quarter CPI-W, and the September 2025 index has yet to be made public. Based on the CPI-W data of the past months and year, the third quarter prediction about COLA 2026 was made.
How much increase can the retirees and other recipients expect through the 2026 COLA?
With the forecast of a 2.7% 2026 COLA increase, if you are wondering how much your benefit payments then you can check it below:
- The 2.7% increase can boost your current payments by $54 per month. But the benefit payment may vary depending on the age groups and other situations that could affect the payouts.
- Retirees must understand that their Social Security benefit will be maximized when they claim at full retirement age or when they reach the age of 70. If you are a retiree or recipient of other social security benefits, you can check the boost in your payout based on the predicted COLA 2026:
| Beneficiaries | Maximum Amount After COLA | Average amount |
| Retirees at 62 | $2900 | $1414 |
| Full retirement age benefit | $4518 | $1486 to $2016 |
| Retirement at 70 | $5408 | $2247 to $2180 |
| SSI (individuals) | $110 | $699 – $816 |
| SSI (Couples) | $1500 | $700 – $1200 |
The SSA will mail you the notice regarding your Social Security benefits adjustment based on COLA in December 2025, or you can check the “my Social Security” account, which will include your income tax withholdings, payment dates, updated benefit, etc.
How will SSA calculate the COLA?
The Social Security Administration calculates that the COLA has been in place since 1975 and is used to adjust the Social Security benefit payments. The administration calculates the COLA based on the third quarter CPI-W of the last year and the current year.
So, the 2026 COLA calculation will be based on the average of the 2024 third-quarter CPI-W and the average of the 2025 third-quarter CPI-W. The July, August, and September CPI-W will help the administration to adjust the benefit based on the prices of goods & services.
It’s important to note that the increase will only be implemented when the calculation of COLA is greater than 0.01%; if it is below that, the increase will not happen and the benefit payments will remain unchanged. There will be no decrease in the payments based on the COLA.
Will the Social Security COLA 2026 announcement be delayed?
The federal government shutdown has raised people’s concerns about the delay of the Social Security COLA 2026 announcement or the availability of the data for the calculation. The Senate and House votes failed to end the shutdown that commenced on 01 October 2025.
However, if you are wondering whether this will affect the COLA 2026 announcement, then you can stay worry-free, as it’s an essential service and it will not be affected. The Social Security payments are processed through separate funds of the SSA, collected by payroll taxes.
The COLA 2026 announcement will be made on time on 15 October 2025 or later. Even if the COLA is delayed, nothing will happen to your Social Security payment, as the adjustment will be effective from January 2026 to your payments.
The COLA 2026 is expected to increase Social Security benefit payments by a 2.7% rate, based on the CPI-W data. The announcement is just a few weeks away, so recipients should regularly check the SSA official channels or wait for the SSA notice in December 2025 to know their benefit payments and other details.
Disclaimer: The 2026 Social Security COLA information is for general reference only. Official adjustment rates are confirmed by the SSA.