The 2026 Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) has been officially announced.
Seniors will see a 2.8 percent increase on their checks, which will equate to about $56 on average. Now that the news is official, seniors and retirement advocates can begin discussing the implications of this number.
This announcement comes after a long wait, which was extended by the government shutdown. What do you think of this number? What will it mean for seniors?
Examining the 2026 Social Security COLA: Is It Enough?
The Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) helps Social Security and SSI benefits keep up with inflation. It’s based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which tracks price changes for goods and services like food, housing, and transportation. Each year, the government compares the average CPI-W from July through September to the same period the year before. If prices rise, benefits increase by that percentage.
But this formula doesn’t always match the spending habits of older adults. Many seniors face higher costs in healthcare and housing—areas that often rise faster than the CPI-W reflects. So while the COLA aims to maintain purchasing power, some argue it doesn’t fully capture what retirees truly experience. Is this the right way to calculate such an important number?
It’s also worth noting that a COLA isn’t a bonus or a raise. It’s an adjustment to keep benefits aligned with current living costs. Without it, seniors’ purchasing power would shrink over time as inflation erodes the value of their benefits. In other words, COLA isn’t extra money—it’s a correction to help benefits keep their real-world value.
What do you think of the 2.8 percent adjustment? Is it enough? Share your thoughts with us on this important news.
Help The Seniors Center Protect the Future of Social Security
The Seniors Center is committed to finding solutions to strengthen and protect the Social Security Trust Fund. Social Security is a contract between citizens and the government. Money deposited in the Trust Fund should only be used to pay benefits to eligible recipients.
The Seniors Center is demanding Congress finally put a stop to the careless borrowing and spending by greedy politicians that has put our Trust Fund and our secure retirement in jeopardy.
At The Seniors Center, our goal is to help seniors, and we’re doing that by protecting the future of Social Security. Retirees shouldn’t have to worry about losing their hard-earned benefits to taxes or the agendas of greedy politicians. If you agree, we invite you to sign our petition today! And follow The Seniors Center on Twitter and Facebook for more updates!
