Beginning in January 2026, Social Security benefits for more than 70 million Americans will increase by 2.8%, thanks to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announced in October by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
On average, the COLA should push Social Security retirement benefits up by about $56 a month, the SSA said in a press release. Based on SSA data as of November 2025 — when the average retirement payment was about $1,960 a month — the typical Social Security retirement check should be roughly $2,016 a month in early 2026.
