The actual cost-of-living-adjustment won't be announced until October, but early predictions say the increase will be a smaller percentage than the 2025 increase.

The nonpartisan Senior Citizens League expects the COLA to be 2.3% for 2026, based on a forecast that inflation will drop throughout the coming year. Another forecast by independent Social Security and Medicare analyst Mary Johnson puts the expected COLA increase at 2.1%.

Starting in January, Social Security recipients saw a 2.5% increase in their monthly payments as the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) took effect. Benefits for February were sent out Wednesday. Social Security payments are sent on the second, third and fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on the recipient's birth date.

As February unfolds, eligible American households are set to receive the final Social Security payments of the month. With a recent increase due to the COLA adjustment, beneficiaries can expect higher payments than in 2024.

Social Security benefits are eligible for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The purpose of COLAs is to make sure that benefits are able to keep up with inflation. But unfortunately, they often fall short.

The non-partisan advocacy group The Senior Citizens League predicts the 2026 COLA will be 2.1%, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI-W, the index used to calculate the annual increase. December’s CPI-W came in at 2.8%. Getty Images