ByTy Roush,
Forbes Staff.
The Social Security Administration, marred by delays during a federal government shutdown, announced on Friday a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026, above estimates from advocacy groups as benefits keep pace with inflation.
The SSA’s cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, represents the annual increase to monthly Social Security payments the SSA calculates based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly consumer price index, which measures the monthly change to inflation.
The average retired worker’s benefit will increase by about $56 to $2,064 from $2,008 with the 2.8% COLA, above projections from the Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan advocacy group.
