Story perspectives

Social Security Boost: 2.8% Increase for 71 Million in 2026

12/1/2025

Summary

Story summary

Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment starting January 2026.
The adjustment provides an average monthly boost of about $56.
The adjustment will benefit about 71 million people.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive their January payment early on December 31, 2025, due to New Year's Day being a federal holiday, and the maximum SSI payment will rise from $967 to $994 with payments automatically adjusted.

History

Historical Context

The Social Security Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, aimed to provide economic security during the Great Depression, initially covering 26 million workers. Over the decades, it evolved to include various benefits, significantly reducing elderly poverty rates. Today, approximately 71 million Americans rely on this program, which adapts benefits to inflation through cost-of-living adjustments.

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Story summary

Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment starting January 2026.
The adjustment provides an average monthly boost of about $56.
The adjustment will benefit about 71 million people.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive their January payment early on December 31, 2025, due to New Year's Day being a federal holiday, and the maximum SSI payment will rise from $967 to $994 with payments automatically adjusted.

1 / 2