COLA is short for Cost-of-Living Adjustment. The Social Security Administration has announced a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment for 2026. This rate increase will apply to the approximately 75 million Americans who receive monthly Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
For some beneficiaries, the Social Security increase may be partially or totally setoff by the increases in Medicare premiums.
The COLA increase will begin with benefits payable to nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2026. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 31, 2025.
Note: Some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits.
For more information on how the Social Security Administration calculates yearly COLA increases, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
