In a recent announcement by agency officials, it was revealed that Social Security benefits for seniors will see a 2.8 percent increase in 2026. This adjustment comes as a welcome update for the nearly 71 million recipients who rely on these benefits.

Starting in January, recipients can expect an average monthly check of approximately $2,064, marking an increase of $56 from the current year. This change is part of the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which is designed to ensure that payments keep pace with inflation.

The announcement of this adjustment followed the much-anticipated release of September’s inflation report, which had been delayed due to the federal government shutdown. The report indicated that prices rose by 3 percent over the past year, slightly below the 3.1 percent forecast expected by Wall Street. This slight miss provided a small comfort to investors concerned about rising costs.

It was announced following the release of September’s long-awaited inflation report, which was delayed due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. 

Prices rose 3 percent over the past 12 months, falling short of Wall Street’s 3.1 percent forecast and offering a bit of relief to investors. 

The COLA for 2026 is higher than in 2025, when recipients received a 2.5 percent boost to payments, and is about average from a historical standpoint. 

However, senior advocates are warning that the ‘meager’ payment increase will not be enough to help older Americans struggling with rising prices. 

‘The 2026 COLA is going to hurt for seniors,’ said Shannon Benton, executive director of nonpartisan group The Senior Citizens League (TSCL).

Senior advocates are warning that the ‘meager’ payment increase will not be enough to help older Americans 

‘The 2026 COLA is going to hurt for seniors,’ said Shannon Benton, executive director of The Senior Citizens League

Year after year, seniors warn that Social Security’s meager increases will not be enough, Benton continued, and the Census Bureau estimates that about 10 percent of retirement-age Americans live in poverty. 

‘However, our research suggests that the number may be higher. It’s about time our elected representatives show up for seniors, or else seniors won’t show up for them at the voting booth.’

Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in a statement Friday that 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.’

Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments will also increase by 2.8 percent next year. 

The COLA uplift is based on a specific inflation measure called the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

This tracks the price changes that urban wage earners and clerical workers pay for a basket of common consumer goods and services.

However, TSCL argues that this measure does not take in the reality of how seniors experience inflation.

The group said that many retirees find that their monthly checks fall behind inflation, and suggested the government use a different measure to calculate the increase, or set a minimum COLA increase of 3 percent. 

Starting in January, the average monthly check for the nearly 71 million Social Security recipients will be up $56 from this year

The COLA announcement was delayed due to the ongoing federal government shutdown 

‘One straightforward option for reforming Social Security COLAs would be calculating them with the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) instead of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners (CPI-W),’ said Benton.

‘The CPI-E is specifically designed to represent older Americans’ spending habits. 

‘As a recent TSCL analysis shows, it tends to come in higher than the CPI-W about 69 percent of the time, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost benefits for seniors.’

The latest COLA announcement comes as the Social Security Administration has been navigating almost a year of turmoil.

This includes the termination of thousands of workers as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce.

According to forecasts released earlier this year, Social Security’s retirement fund is set to run short in just seven years.

In this event, seniors would continue to receive benefits, but they could be slashed by thousands of dollars a year.