Social Security COLA Calculator
Each year Social Security benefits rise by a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) tied to inflation. The 2026 COLA is 2.8%, effective with benefits payable in January 2026. This calculator shows how much your monthly and annual Social Security benefit increases. Enter your current monthly benefit to see your new amount and the dollar increase. The same COLA applies to retirement, disability (SSDI), survivor, and SSI benefits. You can also project future years, but because future COLAs depend on inflation and are not yet known, any projection uses a rate you choose, not an official figure. The 2026 figure is sourced directly from the Social Security Administration.
The 2026 COLA of 2.8% raises a $2,000.00 monthly benefit by $56.00 to $2,056.00 a month ($672.00 more per year).
How to read the badges beside each field: Official figures come from a cited authority; Regional average and Illustrative assumption values are editable placeholders, so replace them with your own figure before you rely on the result.
How the COLA is applied
new monthly benefit = current benefit x (1 + 2.8 / 100)
monthly increase = new monthly benefit - current benefit
The 2026 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is 2.8%, applied to benefits from January 2026. COLAs are set from the year-over-year change in the CPI-W for the third quarter. Future COLAs are unknown and depend on inflation; this tool treats any projection year beyond 2026 as a user-editable assumption, never an asserted figure (Tenet 3). The full official COLA history is published by SSA at the sourceHistory link.
Why a COLA rarely feels like a raise
A 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment sounds straightforward, but the figure hides two things worth understanding. First, it is not measured against a retiree's actual spending. Social Security indexes the COLA to the CPI-W, the price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, whose basket leans toward gasoline and commuting rather than the medical care and housing that dominate older budgets. That mismatch is the long-running argument for switching to the experimental CPI-E, and it is why many recipients feel the raise never quite keeps pace.
Second, the 2.8% is a gross figure. For most retirees the standard Medicare Part B premium is deducted straight from the monthly check, and when that premium rises the net increase you actually see is smaller than the headline. On a $2,000 benefit the COLA adds $56 a month before any Part B change is applied, so the deposit that lands in January can move by less than the percentage suggests.
Context helps too. The 2026 adjustment of 2.8% follows 2.5% in 2025, 3.2% in 2024, and the outlier 8.7% in 2023 that reflected the post-pandemic inflation spike. It is set from the year-over-year change in CPI-W for July, August, and September, so the rate locks once the third-quarter data lands and does not move again during the year. Any projection past 2026 on this page is an inflation assumption you choose, never an SSA promise, because future COLAs simply are not knowable yet.
Social Security COLA: frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 Social Security COLA?
The 2026 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is 2.8%. It applies to benefits from January 2026 and is set from the year-over-year change in the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners) for the third quarter.
How much will my check increase?
Multiply your current monthly benefit by 2.8%. For example, a $2,000.00 monthly benefit rises by $56.00 to $2,056.00, an extra $672.00 a year. Enter your own amount above.
Does the COLA apply to SSI and other benefits?
Yes. The same COLA applies to Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), survivor benefits, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI increases usually take effect at the end of December.
Will future COLAs be the same?
No, future COLAs are unknown and depend on inflation. Recent COLAs have varied widely (for example 8.7% in 2023, 3.2% in 2024, 2.5% in 2025). This calculator applies the confirmed 2026 rate of 2.8%; any multi-year projection uses a rate you choose, not a predicted figure. See the official COLA history at the SSA link below.
Official sources
- 2026 COLA 2.8%: SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet. Full history: SSA COLA series. As at 15 July 2026.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 15 July 2026. See our methodology. General information, not financial advice.