COLA, Social Security

54% of Retirees View the 2025 Social Security COLA as Insufficient. Here's How to Ensure a Wealthy Retirement.
In order to ensure that benefits keep up with inflation, the Social Security Administration (SSA) typically makes a cost of living adjustment (COLA) each year. For 2025, the SSA has delivered a 2.5% COLA -- and the benefit increase appears to be getting mixed reviews from retirees.
Social Security Retirees Just Got Bad News About the 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) applied to Social Security payments in any given year is based on CPI-W inflation from the third quarter of the previous year. In that sense, COLAs are a reimbursement mechanism to compensate retirees for the buying power benefits lost in the previous year.
Bad news for Social Security retirees, COLA 2025 may be cause for concern this year
Recipients of Social Security received an increase in benefits in 2025, as they do every year. However, new economic data and policies could spell trouble.
The Social Security COLA 2025 Increase Is Here: Here's When to Expect Your Boosted Check
The Social Security COLA increase for 2025 is finally here, and so is your boosted benefits check. Here's when you can expect it.
I'm Not Counting on Social Security COLAs to Carry Me Through Retirement. Here's What I'm Doing to Combat Inflation Instead
Forget about COLAs for a minute -- because Social Security itself has some big problems. More money is being paid out of its coffers than is coming into them, so the program's surplus is shrinking -- and is expected to be depleted in 2035.
Cooling COLA: 2024 Social Security Benefits Up 3.2% Amid Lower Inflation
The average Social Security payment will rise by more than $50 per month starting in January, thanks to the federal government’s 3.2% annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. A 3.2% increase in the average Social Security check—about $1,
Social Security's 2025 COLA Is Now a Reality. Here's How Much it Benefits the Average Senior
When you are on  Social Security, you can expect your retirement benefits to increase during most years. That’s because Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) typically happen automatically from year to year.
The Social Security COLA is lower than it’s been in four years. Here’s what that means for your spending.
The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2025 is a 2.5% increase. That means the monthly benefits checks for more than 72.5 million Americans will see their lowest annual bump in four years. While the smaller COLA is due to the normalization of annual inflation rates, many beneficiaries are concerned.
5 Things Seniors Should Know About Social Security and COLA Before They Retire
The Social Security COLA gives much-needed inflation protection to retirees. Each year’s COLA is calculated by comparing inflation data from the third quarter. The CPI-E would probably be a better way to help retirees keep up with rising costs.
Social Security COLA expected to drop significantly in 2026
The latest inflation report, released on January 15, 2025, shows that December saw a 0.4% increase in the consumer price index (CPI). This was above the forecasted 0.3% rise. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices,

Feb. Social Security Payments for 65-Year-Olds

Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Projected To Shrink Further in 2026
The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a nonpartisan senior group, recently released their monthly COLA estimate, predicting that ...
The Social Security Fairness Act is a terrible piece of legislation — here’s how to fix the problem
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed by then-President Biden on Jan. 5, is a terrible piece of legislation. It simply gives away money to some state and local workers — those who will now benefit ...