A government shutdown delays the 2026 Social Security COLA announcement, but payments continue unaffected.

A government shutdown is delaying the announcement of the 2026 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which is based on third-quarter inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Projections suggest a 2.6% to 2.7% increase, adding about $54 monthly to the average beneficiary’s check. While the COLA announcement may be postponed due to furloughed BLS and SSA staff, Social Security and SSI payments will continue uninterrupted as mandatory spending. Non-essential services like Medicare card replacements and benefit verifications are paused. The final COLA will be released once data becomes available and operations resume.