The 2026 COLA Kicked In. Do You See A Difference?
By now you should have received your first Social Security benefit payment of 2026. Did you notice any difference?
According to an article by The Motley Fool, this month’s payment includes the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). It’s a 2.8 percent increase, which means about $50 more on average.
While a benefit boost certainly sounds good, the article points out that the only reason retirees got the raise is because inflation is still high. Seniors living on a fixed income are struggling to get by.
Benefits may be going up, but inflation is causing seniors to lose buying power. That’s largely due to the way the COLA is calculated. The article states that “the COLA formula have consistently produced COLAs that are too small, so the real value of Social Security benefits has been declining over time. In fact, benefits have lost 20% of buying power since 2010.”
Call for a New COLA Calculator
Many senior advocates, such as The Seniors Trust, believe the COLA calculator is broken. It uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) to measure price increases. But basing COLA on the CPI-W does a disservice to seniors.
A better option would be to use the Consumer Price Index for Americans 62 years of age and older (CPI-E) as it more accurately reflects the costs incurred by older adults, especially related to healthcare and housing.
The Social Security Expansion Act calls for adopting the CPI-E. Not only would this provide Social Security recipients with a fairer COLA, but this landmark piece of legislation also provides across-the-board benefits boost of about $2,400 per year and long-term Social Security solvency.
If this is something you support, please sign our petition to Congress and join us as we strive to improve the lives of senior citizens.
