Overview
- Retirees with birthdays from the 21st to the 31st are scheduled to receive payments on Wednesday, Jan. 28, following earlier rounds on Jan. 14 and Jan. 21.
- An early Supplemental Security Income payment for February will be issued on Friday, Jan. 30, in line with the SSA’s practice when the first of the month falls on a weekend or holiday.
- The 2026 cost-of-living adjustment is 2.8%, raising the average retirement benefit by about $56 to approximately $2,071 per month, according to the SSA.
- The full retirement age is now 67 for people born in 1960 or later, completing the phased change enacted in the 1983 Social Security Amendments.
- For beneficiaries working before full retirement age, the 2026 earnings limits are $24,480 with $1 withheld for every $2 over the limit and $65,160 in the year reaching FRA with $1 withheld for every $3, while reported maximum age‑70 benefits vary around $5,108 to $5,181 and increase about 8% per year if claiming is delayed past FRA.