What’s Ahead for Social Security Benefits in 2026?

Social Security’s 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is likely to bring modest relief to America’s 72.5 million Social Security recipients. Current Social Security COLA 2026 estimates place the increase between 2.5% and 2.7%, with most Social Security experts settling around the 2.6% mark.

This Social Security COLA projection comes from The Senior Citizens League. For context, Social Security beneficiaries received a 2.5% increase in 2025, making the projected 2026 adjustment only marginally higher. At The Keener Law Firm, we’ve helped thousands of individuals and families understand how these annual adjustments affect their Social Security disability benefits and survivors benefits, and we know how important every dollar is to our clients’ financial security.

How Much Money Will You Actually Get from the 2026 Social Security Increase?

While a 2.6% Social Security increase might sound reasonable, the actual impact on monthly Social Security benefits tells a different story. For someone receiving the average monthly Social Security benefit of around $1,900, this translates to roughly $49 more per month. However, even this modest increase comes with significant concerns about whether it will keep pace with the actual costs seniors face.

Why Is the Social Security COLA Calculation Flawed for Retirees?

The root of the problem lies in how Social Security determines these annual adjustments. Social Security’s COLAs are based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This is problematic because the CPI-W does not account for the spending habits of seniors.

The CPI-W tracks price changes across eight major categories:

• housing,
• food and beverages,
• transportation,
• medical care,
• recreation,
• education and communication,
• apparel, and
• other goods and services.

The issue is that these categories are weighted based on the spending patterns of working-age Americans, not retirees.

This creates a significant disconnect. Seniors typically spend a much larger portion of their income on housing and medical care compared to younger workers. When these essential senior categories experience above-average price increases, the CPI-W formula understates the real inflation impact on retirees.

What Can You Do to Maximize Your Social Security Benefits Beyond COLA Increases?

While annual cost-of-living adjustments provide some protection against inflation, there are several strategies to maximize your overall Social Security income that many people overlook. Understanding these options can significantly impact your lifetime benefits, often making the difference of thousands of dollars per year.

The timing of when you claim Social Security retirement benefits plays a major role in determining your monthly payments. You can begin receiving reduced benefits as early as age 62, but waiting until your full retirement age (between 66 and 67, depending on your birth year) ensures you receive 100% of your benefit amount. For those who can afford to wait even longer, delaying benefits until age 70 can increase your monthly payment by 24% to 32% above your full retirement amount.

One spouse may be entitled to up to 50% of the other spouse’s benefit amount, and survivors benefits can provide up to 100% of the deceased spouse’s benefit. These calculations become complex, especially when both spouses have work histories. That’s one reason professional guidance is so valuable.

How Are Social Security Retirement and Disability Benefits Actually Calculated?

Both retirement and disability benefits use similar calculation methods, but with important differences that affect your potential income.

For retirement benefits, Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for inflation, to calculate your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). If you worked fewer than 35 years, zeros are averaged in for the missing years, which can significantly reduce your benefit amount. This is why working at least 35 years, even part-time, can boost your Social Security income.

The Social Security Administration then applies a formula to your AIME to determine your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is your benefit at full retirement age. This formula is weighted to provide higher returns for lower-income workers, but higher earners still receive larger benefit amounts.

Disability benefits use a similar calculation but may use fewer years of earnings depending on your age when you become disabled. For younger workers, Social Security may use as few as two years of earnings, while older workers’ calculations more closely resemble retirement benefit formulas.

At The Keener Law Firm, we help clients understand these calculations to ensure they haven’t missed qualifying years of earnings or overlooked benefit programs that could increase their payments.

Why Should You Work with an Experienced Social Security Attorney?

Many people assume that Social Security benefits are automatically calculated correctly and that all eligible individuals receive everything they’re entitled to. But this isn’t always the case. Social Security records can contain errors. Benefit calculations might miss eligible earnings periods, and complex family situations sometimes create opportunities for additional benefits that aren’t immediately apparent.

An experienced Social Security attorney like The Keener Law Firm can review your complete earnings history to identify potential issues or missed opportunities. This might include correcting unreported or underreported earnings, ensuring all qualifying work periods are included in benefit calculations, or identifying family benefits you that may not even have known existed.

For disability benefits specifically, the application and appeals process is notoriously complex. It’s true that most initial disability applications are denied, but it’s also true that the majority of those initial denials are overturned on appeal with proper legal representation. Having an attorney who understands Social Security’s medical evaluation process and who can present your case effectively makes a huge difference between approval and denial.

The Keener Law Firm has helped thousands of individuals and families secure the Social Security benefits they deserve. Our experience includes not just disability claims, but also retirement benefit optimization, survivors benefits, and appeals of incorrect benefit calculations.

When Will the Official 2026 Social Security COLA Be Announced?

The Social Security Administration will announce the official 2026 COLA in October 2025, based on inflation data from the third quarter of the year.

While this projection provides a useful planning benchmark, beneficiaries should remember that COLA adjustments represent just one component of Social Security income optimization. The strategies for maximizing benefits through timing your claim, spousal benefits, and ensuring an accurate monthly benefit amount have a much larger impact on lifetime Social Security income than annual COLA adjustments.

For many families, the difference between optimal and mistaken Social Security claiming strategies can exceed $100,000 over a lifetime. This makes professional guidance particularly valuable, especially given the complexity of Social Security rules and the permanent nature of many claiming decisions.

How Can The Keener Law Firm Help You Maximize Your Social Security Benefits?

At The Keener Law Firm, our decades of experience with Social Security matters extends far beyond disability claims. We help individuals and families access the full range of Social Security benefits available to them, from retirement and spousal benefits to survivors benefits and supplemental programs.

Our comprehensive approach includes reviewing your complete earnings history for accuracy, analyzing optimal claiming strategies for your specific situation, and ensuring you receive every benefit to which you’re entitled. Whether you’re planning for retirement, dealing with a disability, or helping a family member understand their options, we provide the expertise and personalized attention that can make a significant difference in your Social Security income.

While a 2.6% COLA increase provides some protection against inflation, the real opportunity for maximizing your Social Security benefits lies in understanding and properly implementing the claiming strategies and benefit programs that best fit your circumstances. Our commitment is to help you achieve exactly that outcome.