Social Security beneficiaries are set to receive an 8.7% boost to their benefits this year, the largest increase since 1982. This increase in benefits, thanks to the highest cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) in 40 years, will soon start to be reflected in the Social Security checks of recipients. (Some may have already received it.)

Retirees will certainly welcome this raise as it will prevent them from losing purchasing power as the cost of living rises. The average Social Security check for retirees was around $1,632 in November. An 8.7% boost would raise the check amount by about $142 to over $1,800 per month.

The final amount, however, will vary depending on what benefits recipients receive and how early they start receiving benefits. For instance, if those getting the maximum benefit were to retire at 70, they would get the highest payment of $4,194, while those retiring at 67 would get $3,345. Those who retire at 62 would receive up to $2,364 per month, according to the SSA.

How To Check Your Cost-Of-Living Adjustment For 2023

You can simply visit your “My Social Security” account from the SSA’s website to check the increase that you will be getting. Those who have already created a My Social Security account before November 15 can log in to their account to see the COLA increase that they will be getting. Those who have yet to create a My Social Security account can visit ssa.gov to create one.

Your My Social Security account will show your current or expected future benefits, depending on your retirement age, as well as your work history. You can also use the account to get documents for filing taxes, make changes to your mailing address, or request a benefit verification letter.

To check how much your benefits will be increased for 2023, you need to go to the message center section of your My Social Security account. This section has a document that details your new 2023 benefit amount, including monthly benefits before and after deductions, as well as the date your first payment with the COLA increase will arrive.

In case you haven’t yet signed up for a My Social Security account, you can also get all details from the COLA notice officially mailed to you in December. It is, however, recommended that you sign up for a My Social Security account.

To create a My Social Security account, go to ssa.gov and click on “Learn about my account.” Next click on “Create an Account.” You will now be asked to sign in with your ID.me account or login.gov account (you need to create one of these accounts if you don’t already have one).

After you sign in using one of the accounts (ID.me account or login.gov account), you will need to agree to the terms of service to continue. After this, the Social Security Administration will send you a one-time security code for verification. This security code is valid only for 10 minutes.

Once you verify, you’ll have access to all Social Security statements and other details.

2023 Social Security Checks: Payment Dates

The COLA increase went into effect with the December 2022 benefits and will show up in the Social Security checks sent out in January 2023.

The payments will go out in three waves, and it depends on the recipients’ birth dates. Those who are born between the 1st and 10th of a month would get their Social Security checks on the second Wednesday of the month. This means their first check would arrive on January 11.

Those born between the 11th and 20th of a month would get their Social Security payments on January 18, while those born between the 21st and 31st of a month will get paid on January 25.

Those who claimed Social Security before May 1997, or those who get both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would have gotten their Social Security checks on January 3.

Also, SSI recipients would have gotten their first 2023 payment on December 30. The payments for SSI benefits usually arrive by the 1st of each month, but since January 1 was a holiday and December 31 was a Saturday, the Social Security Administration decided to issue the checks two days earlier than usual.

Final Words

Retirees lost purchasing power last year as they only received a 5.9% COLA increase, which is well below the inflation rate witnessed in 2022. In 2022, the inflation rate spiked to its highest level in four decades. A calculation by the advocacy group, the Senior Citizens League, shows that the average Social Security benefit fell short of inflation by more than $500 last year.

The 8.7% COLA adjustment for 2023 will certainly help retirees who are struggling due to the rising costs of everything from food to gasoline. It could, however, take some time for retirees to rebuild their emergency savings.

This article originally appeared on ValueWalk

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