Every year, Social Security benefits are eligible for a cost-of-living adjustment to keep up with inflation. In October, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% COLA for 2026, increasing the average payout for retirees by $56 each month, or from $2,015 to $2,071.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2026
The 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2026. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million SSI recipients will begin on December 31, 2025.
In 2026, the maximum amount of earnings on which you must pay Social Security tax is $184,500. We raise this amount yearly to keep pace with increases in average wages. There is no maximum earnings amount for Medicare tax.
All Social Security beneficiaries – retired workers, workers with disabilities, eligible family members, and survivors – may be eligible for the stimulus payment.
Qualification for the $1,400 stimulus check (the third Economic Impact Payment) in 2021 depended on your 2021 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and filing status, with full amounts for single filers earning up to $75,000 (phasing out at $80,000) and joint filers up to $150,000 (phasing out at $160,000), plus $1,400 per dependent; you needed a valid Social Security Number and had to claim it as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if you missed the payment, with deadlines typically in April 2025.
Social Security Retirement Benefits
For the average retired worker, the 2.8 percent COLA is expected to increase their monthly benefit by about $56. This will raise the average payment from approximately $2,008 in 2025 to about $2,064 in 2026.
You get two Social Security checks in December if you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), not regular Social Security, because the January payment gets moved to late December (usually Dec 31) since January 1st (New Year's Day) is a federal holiday, resulting in a December 1st payment and a December 31st payment for January's benefits, with the later one often including the COLA increase.
The extra $144 added to Social Security usually comes from the Medicare Part B Giveback benefit, offered by some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans, which pays back some or all your Part B premium, showing up as extra money in your check if it's deducted from your Social Security. To qualify, you need Original Medicare (Parts A & B), pay your own Part B premium, live in a plan's service area, and enroll in a specific Medicare Advantage plan that offers this "rebate," with the amount varying by plan and location.
Social Security will take into consideration the amount of your assets, because it is a needs-based program. To be eligible for SSI, your assets must be less than $2,000 for an individual and less than $3,000 for a married couple. However, not all assets count towards the resource limits.
Yes, Social Security is giving extra money through the 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), which is a 2.8% increase for most beneficiaries starting in January 2026, raising the average retirement check by about $56 monthly due to higher inflation. This annual adjustment helps benefits keep pace with rising living costs, though some people might receive notices later in December.
The 2.8% adjustment is expected to boost average monthly payments by about $56. For instance, a retired worker currently receiving $2,015 per month can expect to receive $2,071 starting January. A retired couple would see a 2.8% increase from $3,120 to $3,208.
In the proposals presented to the Commission, the use of retirement bonds--and annuities based on bond accumulations- would also replace the entire benefit structure of Social Security for the future.
You likely received extra money in October 2025 due to a calendar scheduling quirk for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (which got two payments: one Oct 1st for October's benefit and one Oct 31st for November's), or perhaps a retroactive payment from the Social Security Fairness Act for Windfall Elimination/Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO) adjustments, as Social Security's main Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2026 started in January 2026, not October 2025, though the announcement was in October 2025.
Retirement benefits to go up about $56 per month
The 2.8% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2026 will increase retirement benefits by about $56 per month on average, the Social Security Administration said in October. The increase is higher than the 2.5% benefit boost beneficiaries saw in 2025.
benefits, you must return the benefits received for the month of death and any later months. If the payment was received by direct deposit, contact the bank or other financial institution.
The 2026 pay raise for general schedule (GS) employees will take effect during the first full pay period of 2026, which is January 11-24 for most employees. Before Christmas, President Trump signed an executive order implementing a one percent raise for most civilian employees, the smallest increase since 2021.
Yes, Social Security recipients received a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025, but the bigger news is that they are getting a larger 2.8% COLA for 2026, announced in October 2025, which began with January 2026 payments, increasing average benefits by about $56 per month. The 2025 COLA was a smaller 2.5% increase, while the 2026 adjustment reflects moderating inflation, leading to higher payments starting in the new year.
Visit the IRS Get My Payment (GMP) portal at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment to see if you can expect a 2021 Economic Impact Payment. The GMP portal will provide the date when your payment was or will be sent.
The IRS is sending out stimulus checks to taxpayers who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax return.
Stimulus payments