An early prediction for next year’s Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment shows retirees could be in for a shock.

If you receive Social Security benefits, you are getting a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) this year. This means your retirement benefits check is going to be bigger than it was before. That's the good news.

Social Security benefits received a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025, but for many retirees, this is not enough to keep up with rising prices. Their monthly checks don't go as far as they used to,

But based on recent data, it's clear that 2025's Social Security COLA is already failing to keep up with inflation. If things don't turn around, many retirees could end up struggl

The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a nonpartisan senior group, recently released their monthly COLA estimate, predicting that it would moderate to 2.1% in 2026.

For retirees, healthcare expenses are unavoidable and increasingly unaffordable. Fidelity Research says a 65-year-old retiring in 2024 can expect to spend an average of $165,000 on healthcare and medical expenses throughout retirement — a 5% jump over the previous year and more than double 2002’s estimate.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment officially goes into effect in December of each year -- so technically speaking, the 2.5% adjustment was the 2024 COLA. However, Social Security benefits are paid one month in arrears, so the December benefit is the monthly payment that is physically received in January.

When you are on  Social Security, you can expect your retirement benefits to increase during most years. That’s because Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) typically happen automatically from year to year.

Here's the Social Security Disability Insurance payment schedule for February 2025.

Retirement can be incredibly expensive, and most Americans need to lean on Social Security to some extent to make ends meet. In fact, 43% of baby boomers say their benefits will be their primary source of income in retirement,