Overview

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the September 2025 CPI on Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. ET, allowing the Social Security Administration to announce the 2026 COLA the same day.
• The schedule was pushed back from mid-October after a federal funding lapse furloughed most BLS staff and delayed the September inflation report.
• The Office of Management and Budget directed BLS to recall workers to assemble the September CPI, while other economic releases remain paused until normal operations resume.
• The Social Security Administration says monthly payments and the Jan. 1, 2026 adjustment will proceed on time, though some in-person services are curtailed during the lapse.
• Independent estimates project a roughly 2.7%–2.8% COLA, which would add about $50 to the average monthly benefit, affecting roughly 74.5–75 million recipients.