The actual cost-of-living-adjustment won't be announced until October, but early predictions say the increase will be a smaller percentage than the 2025 increase.

The nonpartisan Senior Citizens League expects the COLA to be 2.3% for 2026, based on a forecast that inflation will drop throughout the coming year. Another forecast by independent Social Security and Medicare analyst Mary Johnson puts the expected COLA increase at 2.1%.

As February unfolds, eligible American households are set to receive the final Social Security payments of the month. With a recent increase due to the COLA adjustment, beneficiaries can expect higher payments than in 2024.

Starting in January, Social Security recipients saw a 2.5% increase in their monthly payments as the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) took effect. Benefits for February were sent out Wednesday. Social Security payments are sent on the second, third and fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on the recipient's birth date.

Social Security benefits are eligible for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The purpose of COLAs is to make sure that benefits are able to keep up with inflation. But unfortunately, they often fall short.

Tens of millions of Americans rely on Social Security benefits for a substantial portion of their retirement income. Not only is Social Security a valuable source of retirement income, with the average retired worker receiving about $1,975 per month, but it is also the only inflation-protected source of income many retirees have.

Social Security recipients saw their monthly check grow by 2.5% in 2025 thanks to a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) designed to offset the dollar-diminishing power of inflation. Beneficiaries get