Back in July, the Social Security Board of Trustees released their estimate for the 2026 COLA and beyond as part of their annual report. The Trustees expected the base case for next year's COLA to be a 2.7% raise for retirees.

Seniors may see only a small bump in Social Security next year. The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) expects a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026, while inflation is still close to 2.9%, leaving little real gain.

Analysts forecast a 2.8% Social Security COLA in 2026. It may not cover expected Medicare premiums, putting seniors more in a bind, they said.

With tens of millions of seniors relying on Social Security for the majority of their income, every single dollar makes a difference. Analysts currently expect the final calculation to reveal a COLA of 2.7% or 2.8%.

Social Security commonly undergoes changes each year. The program's earnings-test limits tend to rise from one year to the next, as does its wage cap. But perhaps the most important update in the context of Social Security is the program's cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

Seniors are "holding their breath as we wait for the official COLA announcement in October," said TSCL's executive director.

If 2026's Social Security COLA is more generous than expected, it will come at the cost of higher prices for consumers. That extends to retirees on a fixed income who may not have the wiggle room in their budgets to absorb higher costs, even if their Social Security benefits do rise a bit.

(NewsNation) — With inflation on the rise, retirees are likely to see a bump in their Social Security checks next year that’s larger than previously expected. A new estimate from the Senior Citizens League puts Social Security’s cost-of-living ...

There are some things Social Security beneficiaries should know as the year comes to a close, even as the future of Social Security remains unclear.

The Social Security Administration will announce next year's cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on Oct. 15. Based on recent inflation data, that COLA is estimated at 2.7%. If the cost of Medicare Part B rises, it could leave Social Security recipients with a lot less money.

The latest estimate for the 2026 Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment is out, and it is an increase from last year