Overview

• SSA had planned to release the official 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on October 15, but the timeline is now uncertain.
• With most BLS staff furloughed during the government shutdown, the September inflation report could be delayed, USA Today reported.
• The agency cannot finalize the COLA without that CPI release, though analyst Mary Johnson noted the underlying data has already been collected.
• Social Security payments will continue during the shutdown because the program’s funding is not tied to annual appropriations.
• The Senior Citizens League recently estimated a roughly 2.7% increase, which remains unofficial, and the only prior delay to a COLA announcement occurred in October 2013.