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BLS Sets Oct. 24 CPI Release, Social Security to Announce 2026 COLA Same Day

The late CPI release will allow Social Security to calculate the 2026 adjustment without postponing payments.

FILE - The Social Security Administration's main campus is seen in Woodlawn, Md., Jan. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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The Capitol is seen under gray skies on the thirteenth day of the government shutdown, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Overview

  • September 2025 CPI will be published Friday, Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. ET after a shutdown delay, the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed.
  • The Social Security Administration says it will announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on Oct. 24, with new benefit amounts taking effect Jan. 1, 2026.
  • Benefit payments continue on schedule during the shutdown, but about 6,200 SSA employees are furloughed and some in‑office services are paused, including proof‑of‑income letters and Medicare card replacements.
  • Officials arranged targeted recalls of BLS staff to finish the CPI report, while other federal economic data releases remain paused until regular operations resume.
  • Independent projections place the 2026 COLA around 2.6%–2.9% (near 2.7%), and higher Medicare Part B premiums could offset part of the increase; the last similar delay occurred in October 2013.