Today is the Day The Social Security COLA Arrives for Some Retirees

If you are on Social Security, you are getting a benefits increase for the 2026 year. Specifically, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all benefit recipients. COLAs are an important part of Social Security’s programs because benefits must increase to keep pace with inflation. 

While the COLA impacts benefits in 2026, some Social Security retirees are actually going to get their first increased payment today. Here’s why that’s the case. 

Social Security benefits are going up today for some retirees

According to the Social Security Administration, close to 71 million Social Security beneficiaries will get their Cost of Living Adjustment applied to their first January check. However, 7.1 million recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will get their first extra payment on December 31, 2025.

The Social Security Administration also explained that some people receive both Social Security retirement benefits and SSI benefits. Those retirees will be able to begin benefitting from the COLA as early as today when they get their larger SSI Check.  SSI payments are for low-income and disabled or elderly individuals who have limited household resources and who need extra financial support.

If you are one of the millions who will get a larger benefit today, this should not come as a surprise. You should have received notice of the COLA either online or via mail already. The SSA provided notifications of the increase in the Message Center of my Social Security accounts starting in late November 2025 for those who had an account online. 

When will the rest of the retirees receive their COLA?

For those seniors who do not collect SSI benefits and who get retirement benefits only, your first payment that includes the 2026 COLA increase will come on the standard date when you get your first Social Security check in January. Here’s when to expect it:

• If your birthday is on the 1st through the 10th, your first larger check with the COLA payment included will come on the second Wednesday of the month (Jan. 14, 2026).
• If your birthday is on the 11th through the 20th of the month, your first increased payment will come on the third Wednesday (Jan. 21, 2026).
• If your birthday is on the 21st through the 31st, your first increased Social Security payment will arrive on the fourth Wednesday (Jan. 28, 2026).

It is important to be aware, though, that if you are signed up for Medicare and you have premiums withdrawn from your Social Security payments, you cannot expect your deposit (or paper check) to increase by the full 2.8% of the COLA. Don’t be surprised if the payment doesn’t look as large as you would expect. The issue is that Medicare premiums are increasing by $17.90 in 2026, so the amount of that increase will be taken off your Social Security raise before you get the extra money. 

It’s also worth noting that for those getting extra income from Social Security either today or sometime in January, this COLA isn’t going to increase your buying power, but instead is calculated based on a formula that measures inflation that is occurring over time. It is designed to help you maintain your lifestyle as inflation causes prices to rise, not to allow you to spend more. 

Be sure when the extra money comes that you are continuing to budget carefully and avoid withdrawing too much too fast from any retirement accounts you are using to supplement your Social Security payments, so you can preserve all of your income sources throughout your retirement.