The government shutdown will delay a key announcement that affects millions of Social Security beneficiaries — just how much their benefit checks will increase in 2026.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for next year will be revealed once September consumer price index data, which was slated for release on Oct. 15, is available. Due to the federal government shutdown, the CPI release has been pushed to Oct. 24 .

"The Social Security Administration (SSA) will use this release to generate and announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on October 24 as well," a Social Security spokesperson told CNBC.com via email.

More from Fixed Income Strategies:

Stories for investors who are retired or are approaching retirement, and are interested in creating and managing a s

See Full Page