Overview

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the September 2025 CPI on Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. ET as a one-time exception during the shutdown.
• The Social Security Administration says it will use that data to calculate and announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on Oct. 24.
• BLS said no other economic data will be released until normal government operations resume.
• The shutdown delayed the usual mid-October COLA timetable, and independent estimates currently place the 2026 increase near 2.7%–2.8%, or about $52 a month on an average $1,865 benefit.
• SSA’s contingency plan furloughs about 6,200 employees and suspends several in-office services, while beneficiary payments continue on schedule.