We won't know how much of a COLA jolt retirees and others receiving Social Security benefits might see next year until the official number is released in October.

The highest COLA increase for Social Security during the most recent bout of inflation was an 8.7% jump in 2023. That was the highest inflation adjustment since 1981 when the COLA boost was 11.2%.

As prices seem poised to edge upward, so too does the possibility of a bigger cost of living adjustment for Social Security benefits in 2026.

As of mid-August, some estimate that Social Security benefits could see a 2.7% hike for the cost-of-living adjustment next year. It's far from a final number as we've got two more months of inflation data to go into the final calculation — August and September.

In 2025, Social Security ben

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