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The ongoing government shutdown will delay the highly anticipated announcement of Social Security's 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) until Oct. 24, although beneficiaries will still receive the pay bump on time, starting with their January payments.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) was set to announce the COLA on Oct. 15, when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was slated to release its report on September inflation — a necessary component for calculating the COLA, which is based on year-on-year changes in consumer prices for July, August and September.
The date was put in doubt when the government partially shut down Oct. 1 amid a congressional budget standoff. Almost all of the BLS’s more than 2,000 employees were furloughed and the agency suspended data collection and processing.
However, the SSA is required by law to announce the COLA before Nov. 1 each year. As a result, BLS is recalling some furloughed staffers to complete the September inflation report, a Trump administration official said.
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The BLS, which typically issues regular updates on employment, inflation and other economic data, announced Oct. 10 that it would release the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) report on Oct. 24 so the SSA could meet the COLA deadline but that none of its other releases would be rescheduled or produced “until the resumption of regular government services.”
An SSA spokesperson confirmed that the agency will use the September inflation report “to generate and announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on Oct. 24 as well.”
Social Security payments continue
The shutdown was triggered by Congress’ failure to pass bills to fund the federal government into the 2026 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. However, it will not interrupt payment of Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits. These have a permanent funding source and are not affected by the congressional appropriations process.
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