The 2026 Social Security COLA announcement is back on track. Some furloughed government workers are being called back to produce a critical piece of September inflation data needed for the calculation. This is a relief to retirees who were concerned the shutdown would indefinitely delay their much-anticipated benefit increase news.
Although the government remains shut down, some workers at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have been brought back to prepare the September consumer price index (CPI), needed to compile the annual COLA. The September CPI, originally due for release on October 15, will now be released on October 24 at 8:30 am ET, the BLS announced on Wednesday. The COLA is expected to follow suit on the same day.
