Every year, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, examines inflation data and adjusts Social Security benefits accordingly. In short, the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is designed to help retirees keep up with the rising cost of goods and services.

Social Security beneficiaries may face taxes if they have additional income sources or due to the COLA increase. Here's how to determine if you're affected.

When you are on  Social Security, you can expect your retirement benefits to increase during most years. That’s because Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) typically happen automatically from year to year.

Social Security beneficiaries have received annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) tied to a subset of the Consumer Price Index known as the CPI-W, which tracks the price of goods and services across the economy.

Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment is expected to shrink in 2026 and could be the lowest increase seen in a decade.

Key Takeaways For 2026, the Senior Citizens League predicts a smaller cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits compared to last year.They estimate that the COLA will be 2.1% in 2026, which is down from 2.

The Social Security COLA increase for 2025 is finally here, and so is your boosted benefits check. Here's when you can expect it.

The average Social Security payment will rise by more than $50 per month starting in January, thanks to the federal government’s 3.2% annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. A 3.2% increase in the average Social Security check—about $1,

Many retirees look forward to Social Security's annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which for 2025 is 2.5%. The COLA technically takes effect in December, with beneficiaries seeing updated payments in January.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2025 is a 2.5% increase. That means the monthly benefits checks for more than 72.5 million Americans will see their lowest annual bump in four years. While the smaller COLA is due to the normalization of annual inflation rates, many beneficiaries are concerned.