In 2025, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), increasing average monthly checks by roughly $50 starting in January. Other key changes include a higher taxable maximum of $176,100 for high earners, the elimination of certain windfall/pension offsets, and a shift to mandatory electronic payments.
The COLA was 2.5 percent in 2025. Nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.8 percent COLA beginning in January 2026. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2025. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).
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.
Six Changes to Social Security in 2026
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.
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.
I am receiving Social Security disability benefits. Will I get a stimulus check? Yes, you probably will if you earned less than $75,000 in either 2018 or 2019.
Stimulus payments
Single taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or below. Taxpayers filing as heads of household with AGIs of $112,500 or below. Married couples filing jointly with AGIs of $150,000 or below.
Yes, a bill to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) was passed by Congress and signed into law as the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, becoming effective for benefits payable after December 2023. This landmark bipartisan legislation ended decades of reduced Social Security benefits for many former public servants, like teachers and law enforcement, who also earned pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security.
2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA): 2.8%
Each year, Social Security benefits may be increased based on inflation measures, with the intent of helping to preserve purchasing power. In 2026, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by 2.8%.
Additional work will increase your retirement benefits. Each year you work will replace a zero or low earnings year in your Social Security benefit calculation, which could help to increase your benefit amount.
Millions of Social Security recipients automatically received COVID-19 stimulus payments through the IRS using SSA and RRB data. Payments included up to $1,200 per individual in round one, $600 in round two, and $1,400 in round three, with extra amounts for dependents.
Yes, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients received two payments in May 2025: one on May 1st (for May) and another on May 30th (for June) because the June 1st payment date fell on a Sunday, triggering an early release. Regular Social Security beneficiaries, however, received their payments on the usual Wednesday schedule based on their birthdates (May 14, 21, or 28), though some individuals receiving both SSI and Social Security could see three payments in May.
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.
Qualifying for the third stimulus check
If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you will automatically qualify for the third stimulus check which will be in the amount $1400. Even if you are a dependent, you will qualify.
However, the payment amounts may vary, according to the IRS. The full credit amount is available to individual taxpayers with up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and to married couples who file jointly with up to $150,000 for 2021.
The dollar amount increase to checks will vary depending on a person's benefit amount, but the average Social Security Retirement benefit, $2,008.31 in July 2025, will grow by about $56.