The Social Security Administration on Friday announced a 2.8 % cost-of-living adjustment for 2026, an increase that will automatically boost monthly payments for the program's roughly 75 million beneficiaries starting early next year.

The increase represents an uptick from the last year's cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which set the 2025 increase at 2.5% . Inflation has edged higher this year. The Labor Department said Friday that the Consumer Price Index, a closely watched gauge of U.S. inflation, rose at an annual rate of 3 % in September.

Next year's COLA increase will boost the average Social Security payment by about $56 to an average monthly benefit of $2,071, starting in January, the Social Security Administration said.

The annual COLA is designed to ensure that s

See Full Page