Social Security recipients now have a date when they will learn how much of an increase they will receive in 2026.

The ongoing government shutdown has delayed the data needed to determine the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment for some 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries. Instead of the original date of Oct. 15, the COLA announcement has been pushed back to Oct. 24.

READ MORE: Social Security COLA 2026: Retirees in 10 states will get the biggest raises next year

Currently, all but one of the bureau’s 2,055 employees are furloughed but officials said some would be brought back for a limited period.

“No other releases will be rescheduled or produced until the resumption of regular government services. This release allows the Social Security Administration to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits,” the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said in a statement.

The 2026 COLA will be determined after the bureau publishes the September Consumer Price Index, or CPI, on Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. COLA is determined by the percentage increase in the CPI-W, for the third quarter of the year – July, August and September. That figure is compiled and then compared to the CPI-W for the same period the previous year. The year-over-year difference is the new COLA payable in the coming year.

Latest COLA projections

The latest projections from the nonpartisan Senior Citizens League estimate a COLA of 2.7%, which would raise the average monthly benefit for retired workers by $54 from $2,008 to $2.062. If correct, the 2.7% would be higher than 2025’s 2.5% but lower than the 2024 COLA of 3.2%.

Over the last 20 years, COLA has averaged 2.6%, according to TSCL.

COLA history for the past decade

2015 – 0.0%

2016 – 0.3%

2017 – 2.0%

2018 – 2.8%

2019 – 1.6%

2020 – 1.3%

2021 – 5.9%

2022 – 8.7%

2023 – 3.2%

2024 – 2.5%

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