Since 1975, the Social Security Administration announced annual cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs. According to the Social Security website, COLAs have been announced in December of each year since 1982.
Millions of Social Security recipients are waiting to hear what the COLA will be for 2026... but the federal government shutdown will likely delay the release of September's consumer inflation data, which is part of the calculation process for the COLA. The September CPI report is due on October 15, but will likely be delayed to allow the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate the data and determine the amount of the adjustment.
If you would like to know more about the cost-of-living adjustments from the Social Security Administration, visit their website for how the adjustment is calculated and a history lesson as well.
a The COLA for December 1999 was originally determined as 2.4 percent based on CPIs published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pursuant to Public Law 106-554, however, this COLA is effectively now 2.5 percent.