Every year, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, examines inflation data and adjusts Social Security benefits accordingly. In short, the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is designed to help retirees keep up with the rising cost of goods and services.

Social Security beneficiaries may face taxes if they have additional income sources or due to the COLA increase. Here's how to determine if you're affected.

Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment is expected to shrink in 2026 and could be the lowest increase seen in a decade.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2025 is a 2.5% increase. That means the monthly benefits checks for more than 72.5 million Americans will see their lowest annual bump in four years. While the smaller COLA is due to the normalization of annual inflation rates, many beneficiaries are concerned.

In 11 days, the Supplemental Security Income check for February will be sent out to eligible recipients, with the payments being worth up to $967 for individual filers. On Jan. 31, the Social Security Administration will issue SSI payments to eligible citizens,