Navigation Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2026
On October 24, 2025, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% benefit increase for 2026. This cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is a little bigger than last year’s COLA which saw a benefit increase of 2.5%. Over the last decade, the COLA increase has averaged about 3.1% per year.
Beginning in January of 2026, approximately 71 million Social Security beneficiaries will see an increase in benefits. For the approximately 7.5 million SSI beneficiaries, the cost-of-living adjustment will begin on December 31, 2025.
The average Social Security benefit will increase by $56. For SSI recipients, the federal maximum will increase from $967 to $994 a month for individuals and from $1,450 to $1,491 for couples.
