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Social Security recipients are getting a pay raise. Specifically, benefits will increase 2.8% in 2026, due to the cost of living adjustment (COLA). social Security Administration (SSA).
This represents a slight increase from the 2.5% COLA adjustment in 2025. Of course, this will mean a different amount for everyone, but a bigger check nonetheless.
GOBankingRates calculates how much your Social Security check will increase for each older age.
About the annual COLA increase
Designed to ensure that inflation does not exceed the purchasing power of Social Security benefits, automatic COLA increases have been in place since 1975, according to Education for all campaign. Annual growth is related to the increase in the consumer price index.
To date, the largest COLA increase was 14.3% in July 1980. The smallest increase was 0.3% in January 2017. Additionally, there was no increase in 2010, 2011 and 2016.
colla adjustment breakdown
Since the COLA increase is not a flat rate, the financial incentive will be different for each recipient.
For example, by January 2026, the estimated average monthly Social Security retirement benefit was $2,071, Education for all campaign Informed. Hypothetically, if this benefit had not yet increased by 2.8%, this would have increased by $57.99 per month to $2,128.99.
Personally, the age at which you start receiving your Social Security benefits matters most — other than your career earnings, of course. For example, if your full retirement age is 66 and your monthly benefit is $1,000, your starting benefit may vary from $750 to $1,320 per month due to the age at which you initially receive it. Education for all campaign.
For example, if you turn 62 in 2025 and decide to start receiving benefits, your starting benefit will be $750 per month. This would mean that your monthly benefit would increase to $1,028 in 2026, when you are 63.
On the other hand, if you delayed benefits until you turned 70 in 2025, your starting benefit would be $1,320 per month. In this case, your monthly benefit would increase from $36.96 to $1,356.96 in 2026, when you are 71.
To put this from another perspective, as of December 2025, the average monthly benefit for retired men was $2,283.98. Education for all campaign. This means the average retiree’s monthly benefit will increase by $63.95, for a total of $2,347.93 per month.
For women retiring by December 2025, the average monthly benefit was $1,875.32, according to Education for all campaign. Given this, the average 2026 COLA increase would be $52.51, for a total of $1,927.83 per month.
Ultimately, you’ll have to do the math to determine your specific COLA increase. If you want to be surprised, you can also wait patiently for your profits to arrive.
