Social Security increases are coming soon

For the near 75 million Americans depending on Social Security benefits to survive, the SSA’s annual Cost of Living Adjustment serves as an important announcement to start planning their monthly budgets.

Many Social Security recipients live on these benefits alone — and it’s a fixed income.

This means that as the cost of living goes up, beneficiaries are ultimately left at the mercy of COLA increases to help them stay afloat.

Recently, the Social Security Administration confirmed a 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment for 2026 — a rate higher than analysts previously predicted .

For 2026, there’s a bit of good news: that lifeline is getting a small raise.

But there’s also a twist — rising health‑care costs could swallow much of it.

A raise, but with limited impact

Starting in Januar