Social Security COLA History Table
| COLA year (SSA) | Increase | First paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.5% | January 2001 |
| 2001 | 2.6% | January 2002 |
| 2002 | 1.4% | January 2003 |
| 2003 | 2.1% | January 2004 |
| 2004 | 2.7% | January 2005 |
| 2005 | 4.1% | January 2006 |
| 2006 | 3.3% | January 2007 |
| 2007 | 2.3% | January 2008 |
| 2008 | 5.8% | January 2009 |
| 2009 | 0.0% | no increase |
| 2010 | 0.0% | no increase |
| 2011 | 3.6% | January 2012 |
| 2012 | 1.7% | January 2013 |
| 2013 | 1.5% | January 2014 |
| 2014 | 1.7% | January 2015 |
| 2015 | 0.0% | no increase |
| 2016 | 0.3% | January 2017 |
| 2017 | 2.0% | January 2018 |
| 2018 | 2.8% | January 2019 |
| 2019 | 1.6% | January 2020 |
| 2020 | 1.3% | January 2021 |
| 2021 | 5.9% | January 2022 |
| 2022 | 8.7% | January 2023 |
| 2023 | 3.2% | January 2024 |
| 2024 | 2.5% | January 2025 |
| 2025 | 2.8% | January 2026 |
| 2026 | due October 2026 | January 2027 |
Every autumn the same headline arrives and every autumn it confuses: the COLA announced in October 2025 was 2.8 percent - and it lands in January 2026 checks. Social Security labels each cost-of-living adjustment by the year the inflation math is done (the third-quarter CPI-W average), not the year the money arrives, which is why the table below shows a 2025 row for what headlines called the 2026 raise.
Bottom line: benefits rose 2.8 percent with checks payable January 2026 - the fourth straight adjustment under 3 percent after the 8.7 percent record of 2022. The next number - SSA's 2026 row, payable January 2027 - is due with the September CPI report in mid-October 2026.
The table carries the exact SSA series since 2000 with the January each raise first appeared. Four zero years sit in it (2009, 2010, 2015 and 2016's near-zero 0.3), because the formula has no floor: when the CPI-W does not rise, benefits do not either - a mechanic that surprised nobody before 2009 and surprised everyone every time since.
How to use
- Find the year the raise was announced (SSA's label) and read the percentage and the January it first appeared in checks.
- Remember the two-year confusion is labeling, not math: the 8.7 percent row is the 2022 COLA that arrived in 2023 checks - the largest since 1981's 11.2 percent.
- For what a percentage is worth in dollars, run your own benefit through the COLA calculator - this table is the history and the clock, not the projection.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Social Security COLA calculated?
Take the average CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) for July, August and September, compare it with the same quarter last year, and round the increase to the nearest tenth of a percent. No increase means no COLA - there is no negative or zero floor. Since 1983 COLAs are set by statute to this formula; before that, Congress voted raises ad hoc, which is why the reliable series starts in 1975.
When will the 2027 COLA be announced?
Mid-October 2026 - SSA publishes it with the September CPI-W release, historically between October 10 and 15. It will appear in this table as the 2026 row and reach checks, including the January 3 payments and Supplemental Security Income paid December 31, in January 2027. Third-quarter readings already banked are why forecasts firm up through September.
Why was the 2023 check raise so much bigger than recent ones?
The 8.7 percent adjustment that hit January 2023 checks was the inflation spike of 2021-22 passing straight through the formula - gasoline, groceries and rents all feeding the CPI-W. As that cooled, the series came back down: 3.2, then 2.5, then 2.8. The formula is a rearview mirror by design; it catches up to inflation after it happens, it never front-runs it.
Does every beneficiary receive the full percentage?
Almost, with one famous exception: the Medicare Part B hold-harmless rule. If the premium rise would consume more than the COLA for some beneficiaries, their net check is protected - the premium is capped for them and the cost spreads across everyone else. That is why the gross percentage and the change in your actual deposit can disagree, and why planning should run on the net number.