{"id":8662,"date":"2025-11-13T01:53:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/?p=8662"},"modified":"2025-11-29T02:05:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T02:05:20","slug":"social-security-announces-new-cost-of-living-adjustment-cola-checks-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/2025\/11\/13\/social-security-announces-new-cost-of-living-adjustment-cola-checks-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Security Announces New Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Checks \u2013 What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_85 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_85\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social Security Announces New Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Checks \u2013 What You Need to Know<\/h2>\n<p>The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced a new Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for the upcoming year, designed to help recipients manage rising inflation and increased living costs. Millions of Americans, particularly seniors, are set to benefit from this adjustment.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s COLA represents a <strong>2.8%\u00a0increase<\/strong>, which is lower than last year\u2019s historic\u00a0<strong>8.7% rise<\/strong>. Over\u00a0<strong>70 million<\/strong>\u00a0beneficiaries, including retirees, disabled individuals, and others who rely on Social Security, will experience changes in their monthly payments starting in\u00a0<strong>January 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Details:<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Effective Date<\/strong>: The new COLA will be reflected in checks starting in January 2026.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Average Monthly Benefit<\/strong>: The average retired worker will see their monthly benefit increase by approximately\u00a0<strong>$56<\/strong>, bringing the average benefit to\u00a0<strong>$2,071<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Predicted Benefits With COLA 2026 for age 54-65+ :<\/h3>\n<p>Based on current estimates, here\u2019s what you can expect from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/benefits\">Social Security benefits<\/a> by 2026:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Tax Rate<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">2025<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Employee<\/td>\n<td>7.65%<\/td>\n<td>7.65%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Self-Employed<\/td>\n<td>15.30%<\/td>\n<td>15.30%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>NOTE:<\/strong> <span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">For most employees, the standard\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">FICA tax withholding<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0totals\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">7.65 percent<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">, a figure that combines contributions for two federally mandated programs. Specifically,\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">6.2 percent<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0is allocated to\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Social Security (OASDI)<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0expenses up to the current\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">taxable wage base limit<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">, while a flat\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">1.45 percent<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0is applied to all\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">gross income<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0for\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Medicare (HI)<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0coverage. It is crucial for\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">high-income earners<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0to note a distinct tier introduced in 2013: taxpayers with\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">earned income<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0exceeding<\/span> 200,000 (250,000 for married couples)<span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0incur an\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Additional Medicare Tax<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span><strong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">0.9 percent<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">. This surcharge is calculated separately and is not reflected in the base 7.65 percent rate<\/span>.<br \/>\n<!-- Table 1: Maximum Taxable Earnings --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_mte\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_mte\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"mte\" colspan=\"3\">Maximum Taxable Earnings<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Social Security (OASDI only)<\/td>\n<td headers=\"mte y1_mte\">$176,100<\/td>\n<td headers=\"mte y2_mte\">$184,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Medicare (HI only)<\/td>\n<td class=\"ta-c\" colspan=\"2\" headers=\"mte y1_mte y2_mte\">No Limit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 2: Quarter of Coverage --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_qoc\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_qoc\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"qoc\" colspan=\"3\">Quarter of Coverage<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td headers=\"qoc y1_qoc\">$1,810<\/td>\n<td headers=\"qoc y2_qoc\">$1,890<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 3: Retirement Earnings Test Exempt Amounts --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_ret\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_ret\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"retea\" colspan=\"3\">Retirement Earnings Test Exempt Amounts<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"retea\">Under full retirement age<\/td>\n<td headers=\"retea y1_ret\">$23,400\/yr.<br \/>\n($1,950\/mo.)<\/td>\n<td headers=\"retea y2_ret\">$24,480\/yr.<br \/>\n($2,040\/mo.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" headers=\"retea\"><strong>NOTE:<\/strong> One dollar in benefits will be withheld for every $2 in earnings above the limit.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"retea\">The year an individual reaches full retirement age<\/td>\n<td headers=\"retea y1_ret\">$62,160\/yr.<br \/>\n($5,180\/mo.)<\/td>\n<td headers=\"retea y2_ret\">$65,160\/yr.<br \/>\n($5,430\/mo.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" headers=\"retea\"><strong>NOTE:<\/strong> Applies only to earnings for months prior to attaining full retirement age. One dollar in benefits will be withheld for every $3 in earnings above the limit.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"retea\">Beginning the month an individual attains full retirement age<\/td>\n<td class=\"ta-c\" colspan=\"2\" headers=\"retea y1_ret y2_ret\">None<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 4: Social Security Disability Thresholds --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_ssdt\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_ssdt\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"ssdt\" colspan=\"3\">Social Security Disability Thresholds<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td id=\"sga\">Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)<\/td>\n<td colspan=\"2\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga\">Non-Blind<\/td>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga y1_ssdt\">$1,620\/mo.<\/td>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga y2_ssdt\">$1,690\/mo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga\">Blind<\/td>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga y1_ssdt\">$2,700\/mo.<\/td>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga y2_ssdt\">$2,830\/mo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga\">Trial Work Period (TWP)<\/td>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga y1_ssdt\">$1,160\/mo.<\/td>\n<td headers=\"ssdt sga y2_ssdt\">$1,210\/mo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 5: Maximum Social Security Benefit --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_mssb\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_mssb\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"mssb\" colspan=\"3\">Maximum Social Security Benefit: Worker Retiring at Full Retirement Age<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td headers=\"mssb y1_mssb\">$4,018\/mo.<\/td>\n<td headers=\"mssb y2_mssb\">$4,152\/mo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 6: SSI Federal Payment Standard --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_sfps\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_sfps\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"sfps\" colspan=\"3\">SSI Federal Payment Standard<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"sfps\">Individual<\/td>\n<td headers=\"sfps y1_sfps\">$ 967\/mo.<\/td>\n<td headers=\"sfps y2_sfps\">$ 994\/mo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"sfps\">Couple<\/td>\n<td headers=\"sfps y1_sfps\">$1,450\/mo.<\/td>\n<td headers=\"sfps y2_sfps\">$1,491\/mo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 7: SSI Resource Limits --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_srl\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_srl\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"srl\" colspan=\"3\">SSI Resource Limits<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"srl\">Individual<\/td>\n<td headers=\"srl y1_srl\">$2,000<\/td>\n<td headers=\"srl y2_srl\">$2,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"srl\">Couple<\/td>\n<td headers=\"srl y1_srl\">$3,000<\/td>\n<td headers=\"srl y2_srl\">$3,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 8: SSI Student Exclusion --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"y1_sse\">2025<\/th>\n<th id=\"y2_sse\">2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"sse\" colspan=\"3\">SSI Student Exclusion<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td id=\"ss3\">Monthly limit<\/td>\n<td id=\"ss3 y1_sse\">$2,350<\/td>\n<td id=\"ss3 y2_sse\">$2,410<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td id=\"sse_row\">Annual limit<\/td>\n<td id=\"sse_row y1_sse\">$9,460<\/td>\n<td id=\"sse_row y2_sse\">$9,730<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Table 9: Estimated Average Monthly Benefits --><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb3 ov-a\">\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"40%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/>\n<col width=\"30%\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<th id=\"bc\">Before 2.8% COLA<\/th>\n<th id=\"ac\">After 2.8% COLA<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th id=\"eam\" colspan=\"3\">Estimated Average Monthly Social Security Benefits Payable in January 2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"eam\">All Retired Workers<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam bc\">$2,015<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam ac\">$2,071<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"eam\">Aged Couple, Both Receiving Benefits<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam bc\">$3,120<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam ac\">$3,208<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"eam\">Widowed Mother and Two Children<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam bc\">$3,792<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam ac\">$3,898<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"eam\">Aged Widow(er) Alone<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam bc\">$1,867<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam ac\">$1,919<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"eam\">Disabled Worker, Spouse and One or More Children<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam bc\">$2,857<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam ac\">$2,937<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td headers=\"eam\">All Disabled Workers<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam bc\">$1,586<\/td>\n<td headers=\"eam ac\">$1,630<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why It Matters:<\/h3>\n<p>The COLA is designed to help Social Security beneficiaries keep up with inflation. Rising living costs, especially for essentials like food, healthcare, and housing, disproportionately affect those on fixed incomes. While this year\u2019s increase provides some relief, many argue it may not fully offset actual expenses, particularly for medical care.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You Should Do:<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Check Your Benefit Amount<\/strong>: You can expect to receive your updated benefit amount starting in January. Make sure your payment reflects the new COLA increase.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay Informed<\/strong>: The SSA will send out notifications detailing your new benefit amount in December, so be on the lookout for official updates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more details on the Social Security COLA and how it impacts you, visit the official SSA website or check trusted resources like\u00a0<strong>AARP<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Medicare.gov<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Discover how\u00a0<strong>Trump\u2019s proposed Social Security tax changes<\/strong>\u00a0could affect retirees in our article,\u00a0<strong>\u201cTop 10 States Where Retirees Benefit Most and Least.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0We break down tax relief potential by state, highlighting savings in retirement-friendly locations and where benefits may fall short. Essential for planning a financially secure retirement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_post_share tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div id=\"tdi_86\" class=\"td-post-sharing tdb-block td-ps-bg td-ps-notext td-post-sharing-style1 \">\n<div class=\"td-post-sharing-visible\">\n<div class=\"td-social-sharing-button td-social-sharing-button-js td-social-handler td-social-share-text\">\n<div class=\"td-social-but-icon\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social Security Announces New Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Checks \u2013 What You Need to Know The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced a new Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for the upcoming year, designed to help recipients manage rising inflation and increased living costs. Millions of Americans, particularly seniors, are set to benefit from this adjustment. This year\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-daily-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8662"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8779,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662\/revisions\/8779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}