The 2026 COLA increase for Social Security benefits could be 2.3% next year claimed the Senior Citizens League. Therefore, all RSDI benefits will be 2.3 percent higher than in 2025 thanks to the Cost-of-Living Adjustment.
The previous 2026 COLA increase prediction was 2.1% in January 2025. Therefore, the inflation seems to be slightly going up. On the one hand, a higher increase is positive to get more dollars in 2026. On the other hand, it means that prices are higher which reduces the buying power of more than 70 million Americans on Social Security benefits.
Is the 2026 COLA prediction higher or lower than the one for 2025?
So far, the 2026 COLA prediction is lower than the 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment. As a matter of fact, the 2025 boost was just 2.5%. Besides, it was a disappointing figure for millions of Social Security recipients.
Having a look at the statistics in the last 10 years, the 2025 COLA was lower than average. Still, it means an increase in monthly payments for RSDI. RSDI stands for Retirement, Survivor, and Disability benefits.
For your information, SSI (Supplemental Security Income) recipients also benefit from Social Security’s Cost-of-Living increase annually. Thus, more recipients get extra money, not just those on RSDI.
When will Social Security announce the official 2026 COLA increase?
The Administration always announces the new Cost-of-Living figure in October. Hence, there are a few months left to know the official figure. Generally, there is an increase.
Nevertheless, there could also be no increase at all, so it could remain the same or sometimes a decrease. Take for example SNAP benefits in Hawaii. They saw a reduction instead of an increase in 2024 and 2025.
The exact date for the 2026 COLA figure will be October 15, 2025. If you would like to know the exact time, it is possible to know it as well. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics will release it on Oct. 15 at 8.30 AM.
