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2h ago

Shutdown Likely to Delay Social Security’s 2026 COLA Announcement

The funding lapse has stalled the inflation report that determines the 2026 increase for Social Security benefits.

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Stock image/file photo: A Social Security card with U.S. Dollars.
Dawn brightens the sky over the U.S. Capitol dome, seen from an empty meeting room during the continuing partial federal government shutdown in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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Overview

  • The Social Security Administration’s Oct. 15 COLA announcement hinges on September CPI-W data that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not released due to the shutdown.
  • All but one of the BLS’s 2,055 employees are furloughed, and the agency’s contingency plan warns that economic data releases will likely be delayed.
  • Roughly 70 to 72.5 million people receive Social Security or SSI, and a postponed announcement would complicate budgeting for 2026 even though payments continue on schedule.
  • Independent estimates from The Senior Citizens League point to an increase of about 2.7%, which would add roughly $54 a month for the average retired worker.
  • The situation has a precedent from October 2013, when a shutdown delayed the CPI release until Oct. 30 and pushed back the COLA announcement.