Cost-Of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2026
Cost-Of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2026
On October 24th, Social Security published a press release regarding the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2026. This release announced a 2.8% benefit increase for 2026. See the SSA press release below.
Social Security News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 24, 2025
Contact: Barton Mackey, Press Officer
Baltimore, MD – The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today that Social Security benefits, including Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for 75 million Americans will increase 2.8 percent in 2026. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $56 per month starting in January.
Over the last decade the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase has averaged about 3.1 percent. The COLA was 2.5 percent in 2025.
Nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.8 percent COLA beginning in January 2026. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2025. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).
“Social Security is a promise kept, and the annual cost-of-living adjustment is one way we are working to make sure benefits reflect today’s economic realities and continue to provide a foundation of security,” said Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. “The cost-of-living adjustment is a vital part of how Social Security delivers on its mission.”
Other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) is slated to increase to $184,500 from $176,100.
Social Security begins notifying people about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December 2025.
Similar to last year, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a simplified, one-page COLA notice, which uses plain and personalized language, and provides exact dates and dollar amounts of an individual’s new benefit amount and any deductions.
Individuals who have my Social Security accounts can view their COLA notices online, which is secure, easy, and faster than receiving a letter in the mail. Account holders can set up text or email alerts when they receive a new message, such as their COLA notice.
To receive a COLA notice online, individuals will need to create or sign in to their personal my Social Security account and opt out of paper notices by November 19, 2025. Go Digital! Create an account today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. An online my Social Security account also gives individuals access to request a replacement Social Security card, view their claim status and benefits, and view their SSA-1099.
Information about Medicare changes for 2026 will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Medicare enrollees, the 2026 premium amount will be available via my Social Security Message Center starting in late November. Individuals who have not opted to receive messages online will receive their COLA notice by mail in December.
The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For additional information, visit www.ssa.gov/cola.
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS: Here is the COLA 2026 Fact Sheet showing an easy-to-understand overview of all the various automatic adjustments for 2026.
For more information about Social Security’s services, visit www.ssa.gov.
History of Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA)
The purpose of the COLA is to ensure that the purchasing power of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits is not eroded by inflation. It is based on the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the last year a COLA was determined to the third quarter of the current year. If there is no increase, there can be no COLA.
The CPI-W is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor. By law, it is the official measure used by the Social Security Administration to calculate COLAs.
Congress enacted the COLA provision as part of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, and automatic annual COLAs began in 1975. Before that, benefits were increased only when Congress enacted special legislation.
Beginning in 1975, Social Security started automatic annual cost-of-living allowances. The change was enacted by legislation that ties COLAs to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W).
Below are the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) fact sheets from the past several years:
The 1975-82 COLAs were effective with Social Security benefits payable for June (received by beneficiaries in July) in each of those years. After 1982, COLAs have been effective with benefits payable for December (received by beneficiaries in January).
Automatic Cost-Of-Living Adjustments Received Since 1975
July 1975 — 8.0%
July 1976 — 6.4%
July 1977 — 5.9%
July 1978 — 6.5%
July 1979 — 9.9%
July 1980 — 14.3%
July 1981 — 11.2%
July 1982 — 7.4%
January 1984 — 3.5%
January 1985 — 3.5%
January 1986 — 3.1%
January 1987 — 1.3%
January 1988 — 4.2%
January 1989 — 4.0%
January 1990 — 4.7%
January 1991 — 5.4%
January 1992 — 3.7%
January 1993 — 3.0%
January 1994 — 2.6%
January 1995 — 2.8%
January 1996 — 2.6%
January 1997 — 2.9%
January 1998 — 2.1%
January 1999 — 1.3%
January 2000 — 2.5%
January 2001 — 3.5%
January 2002 — 2.6%
January 2003 — 1.4%
January 2004 — 2.1%
January 2005 — 2.7%
January 2006 — 4.1%
January 2007 — 3.3%
January 2008 — 2.3%
January 2009 — 5.8%
January 2010 — 0.0%
January 2011 — 0.0%
January 2012 — 3.6%
January 2013 — 1.7%
January 2014 — 1.5%
January 2015 — 1.7%
January 2016 — 0.0%
January 2017 — 0.3%
January 2018 — 2.0%
January 2019 — 2.8%
January 2020 — 1.6%
January 2021 — 1.3%
January 2022 — 5.9%
January 2023 — 8.7%
January 2024 — 3.2%
January 2025 — 2.5%
January 2026 — 2.8%
The COLA for December 1999 was originally determined as 2.4 percent based on CPIs published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pursuant to Public Law 106-554, however, this COLA is effectively now 2.5 percent.
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