A spokesperson for the agency told The Epoch Times that it will release its highly anticipated 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on Oct. 24.
The Social Security Administration said Tuesday that it will release its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for next year’s payments and confirmed the ongoing government shutdown won’t impact payments being sent out in 2026.
In a statement late last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed that the September 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will be released on Oct. 24. It added that the release gives the Social Security Administration the capacity “to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits.”
“No other releases will be rescheduled or produced until the resumption of regular government services,” the BLS added.
A spokesperson for the Social Security agency told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 14 statement that it “will use this release to generate and announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on October 24 as well.”
“Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 75 million Americans will be adjusted per the 2026 COLA, beginning January 1, 2026, without any delay due to the current government lapse in appropriation,” a Social Security Administration spokesperson added.
The Social Security Administration calculates the CPI for urban workers for the months of July, August, and September in order to release its COLA for next year’s retirement and disability payments.
The agency announces the COLA soon after the BLS delivers its report for September. The CPI report was originally scheduled for release on Wednesday, Oct. 15
However, due to the ongoing government shutdown, the BLS said that the collection, processing, and publishing of other official economic data remained suspended until regular operations re resumed. The shutdown was initiated on Oct. 1 after members of Congress could not come to an agreement on a stopgap measure to fund the government.
The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation’s biggest seniors groups, last month projected a 2.7 percent COLA raise in 2026, which would lift the average monthly benefit for retirees by $54 to $2,062 from $2,008.
