Social Security retirees will know the official 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in less than a month.

Social Security cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) have been high in recent years, due to some of the worst inflation seen in roughly four decades. But as the Federal Reserve worked quickly to rein in rising prices, inflation has fallen from a peak of 9.1% in 2022 to less than 3% now, including more volatile food and gas prices.

Coming into the year, the 2026 Social Security COLA looked like it might be the lowest in five years, but it may end up being higher than expected.

Inflation has ramped back up in recent months

As I mentioned above, the Social Security COLA is based on inflation data. Specifically, the COLA is determined by data from the Consumer Price Index for Urban W

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