Seniors will see a 2.8% boost in their monthly Social Security checks next year as inflation plagues the United States.
The payments for the 75 million people receiving benefits will kick in in 2026, and benefits will increase by about $56 per month, according to the Social Security Administration. The COLA adjustment was 3.5% in 2025.
“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,” Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said. “The cost-of-living adjustment is a vital part of how Social Security delivers on its mission.”
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The COLA adjustment is tied to the consumer price index, the most closely watched gauge of inflation. CPI inflation rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 3% for the year ending in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday morning.
Some seniors are dissatisfied with the annual COLA adjustments and think 2.8% is too low given inflation and financial difficulties.
The AARP conducted a survey that found just 22% of people over the age of 50 think a cost-of-living adjustment of about 3% is sufficient, while a whopping 77% disagree. The sentiment is felt across political parties.
The Washington Examiner spoke with AARP’s vice president of government affairs, Jenn Jones, who said senior citizens might find it difficult to handle the rising costs of things like healthcare, utilities, and insurance.
She said there have been thoughts that maybe the inflation matrix used to evaluate COLA for seniors could be changed, given that their expenses are different from younger, working Americans.
“Think about older adults, for most of them, their biggest expenses are housing and healthcare,” Jones said. “And so there are other sorts of proposals or other indices out there that actually would weigh those costs differently to better reflect sort of the expenses that retirees feel.”
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Social Security is one of the most important programs in the U.S. On the campaign trail, candidates of both parties vowed to safeguard it and not make cuts.
But some believe that given the country’s rising debt and deficits — the total national debt of the U.S. hit $38 trillion this week — there should be reforms to the expensive entitlement program. For instance, some have discussed changing the retirement age.
