Social Security COLA for 2026, delayed due to shutdown, revealed
Social Security Administration Secretary Frank Bisignano details efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in “The Bottom Line.”
The annual inflation adjustment for Social Security benefits was announced Friday, and beneficiaries will receive even larger benefits in 2026.
The Social Security Administration announced that next year’s Social Security annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be 2.8%. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $56 per month starting in January.
The average annual COLA over the past 10 years was approximately 3.1%, and in 2025 it was 2.5%. COLAs were even larger this year as inflation was on the rise.
“Social Security is a promise kept, and annual cost-of-living adjustments are one way we are working to ensure benefits reflect today’s economic realities and continue to provide a foundation for security,” said SSA Secretary Frank Bisignano. “Cost of living adjustments are a critical part of how Social Security fulfills its mission.”
The COLA was originally scheduled to be released on October 15, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics was affected by the government shutdown and delayed releasing September CPI inflation data used to calculate the Social Security COLA.
The BLS decided to move forward with the COLA release by bringing back some of the employees who were furloughed to produce the September CPI data, which was also released Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.
