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Starting in January, Social Security recipients will see two major changes.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) — a program providing financial benefits to eligible workers after reaching retirement age — will increase benefits and taxes. Back in October, the SSA announced that recipients will see a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
The COLA is the yearly increase meant to help Social Security keep up with rising prices.
This means nearly 72 million retirees will most likely see their Social Security benefits increase by about $75 per month starting in January. The increased payments will hit roughly 7.3 million people receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beginning on December 31, 2026.
Another change to hit millions of beneficiaries — some added taxes. Based on increases in average wages, the maximum amount of income subject to Social Security will increase next year.
For example, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax — known as taxable maximum — is set to increase from $184,500 to $192,300 in 2027.
The move will impact higher earners, as many will soon start paying Social Security taxes on an additional $7,800 in reported income. For example, someone earning at least $192,300 would likely pay up to $483.60 more annually in Social Security taxes.
The agency has recently announced another revision — the biggest change in its 91-year history. The SSA revealed it has officially “cleaned up” the comprehensive Social Security Number (SSN) database.
SSA records are referenced by federal government agencies and in states to validate identities — which helps prevent improper payments of taxpayer dollars. While it may seem like a small, administrative change, the move safeguards identity data, helps to prevent fraud and preserves proper program administration.
According to the office, it added 17 million dates of death to records that previously lacked this information, updated about 25 million records that previously had missing citizenship information and more.
For most recipients, it’s business as usual. No Social Security numbers have been taken; your monthly checks are still coming and recipients will still see a COLA bump.
To view your COLA notice online, head to your Social Security account. If you receive paperless notices, you may view and save your COLA notice in the “Message Center” starting in late November.
However, you must create an online “my Social Security account” and enroll in paperless notices by November 18 to see yours online. The agency will send paper notices with updated benefit amounts in early December.
And don’t forget — you may see an early Social Security check as Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday.
The Social Security schedule for the rest of 2026 based on your birthday:
November
- 10 (early due to Veterans Day)
- 18
- 25
