Social Security increase: More bad COLA news for seniors
2026’s Social Security increase is on track to be the lowest since 2021, according to a key senior citizens advocacy group.
The Senior Citizens League forecasts the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, will be 2.4%, up from last month’s prediction of 2.3%. That’s 0.1 percentage points lower than 2025’s COLA of 2.5% and significantly less than the record numbers posted during the COVID pandemic.
READ MORE: Some Social Security recipients face 15% cut to benefits starting next month
High inflation during the pandemic pushed the COLA to 5.9% in 2022 and 8.7% in 2023. If TSCL’s forecast holds, seniors can expect next year’s increase to be the lowest since the 1.3% implemented in 2021.
Prospects of a low COLA are daunting for seniors, TSCL polls show. Ninety-four percent of the respondents in TSCL’s Senior Survey said they thought 2025’s COLA of 2.5% was too low and that their monthly Social Security checks would fall behind inflation. Just 5% of respondents thought the 2025 COLA was fair while 1% thought it was too high.
“Our research puts numbers to what seniors have been telling us for years: Social Security benefits aren’t keeping up with inflation, inadequate COLAs are to blame, and seniors aren’t happy with Congress’s failure to act,” TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton said. “The vast majority of Americans, 55.8 million seniors—93 percent—believe Social Security and Medicare reform should be a high or top priority for Congress and the Presidential administration.”
Lagging COLA adjustments could also push millions of seniors into poverty, TSCL warned.
“If our predictions come true and the 2026 COLA comes in at the lowest we’ve seen since 2021, seniors will face additional pressure at a time when they’re already strained financially. Our research shows that 73 percent of American seniors rely on Social Security for at least half their income, with 39 percent depending on the program for all of their income,” Benton said.