COLA for 2026 delayed as shutdown pushes CPI release

Millions of Social Security beneficiaries will have to wait longer than usual to learn next year’s cost of living adjustment after the federal government shutdown delayed the Bureau of Labor Statistics release of September inflation data. The BLS said it will publish the September Consumer Price Index on Oct. 24, and the Social Security Administration must wait for that CPI figure before announcing the 2026 COLA, which had been expected around Oct. 15.

The COLA is calculated by comparing the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for July, August and September with the same period a year earlier. Because the September data were not available while many BLS staff were furloughed, the agency moved the release date to Oct. 24 so the necessary third-quarter inflation measure can be completed and the SSA can determine the adjustment for 2026. The BLS said the rescheduled release "allows the Social Security Administration to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits."

The SSA has assured beneficiaries that benefit payments themselves will not be interrupted. The agency said Social Security and Supplemental...