How much more will Social Security recipients receive next year? COLA prediction offers insight [Video]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The tens of millions of Americans who receive Social Security benefits are bracing themselves for an even smaller bump in their monthly checks than what had previously been forecasted.

Each year, Social Security benefits are subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) based on inflation rates to ensure that monthly payments keep pace with rising costs.

Social Security recipients received a 3.2% COLA in 2024, a significant decrease from the 8.7% COLA in 2023, which was the largest increase in four decades.

For 2025, using current inflation data from the Consumer Price Index, it’s estimated there will be a 2.57% COLA in the coming year, according to The Senior Citizens League (TSCL).

The current projected 2.57% increase is lower than the 2.66% increase the group had forecasted last month and would be the lowest since 2020, when monthly benefits increased by just 1.3%.

Under the projected increase, beneficiaries who currently receive $2,000 in monthly benefits would see that number …