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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> ^Commissioner Broadcast <Commissioner.Broadcast@ssa.gov>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, October 24, 2025 9:20 AM<br>
<b>Subject:</b> 2026 COLA Announced Today<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">A Message to All SSA and DDS Employees</span></i></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Subject: 2026 COLA Announced Today<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Dear Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Today we announced
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 75 million Americans in 2026. Read the press release
<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/press/releases/2025-10-24.html">here</a>. </span>
</span><span class="scxw205895389"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="scxw205895389"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br>
</span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $56 per month starting in January 2026.\u202fIncreased payments to people receiving
<span style="color:black">Supplemental Security Income (SSI) </span>will begin on December 31, 2025.</span></span><span class="eop"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline;user-select: text;-webkit-user-drag: none;-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;overflow-wrap: break-word;white-space:pre-wrap;font-kerning: none">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Many beneficiaries may want to find out exactly what their new benefit amount will be.
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The fastest way is through their personal
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#CE1E29">my</span></i></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">
<span style="color:#1955A5">Social Security</span></span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#1955A5">
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/">account</a>. Account holders can view their COLA notice online up to three weeks earlier than receiving their
notice in the mail. </span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Beneficiaries who do not have a personal
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#CE1E29">my</span></i></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">
<span style="color:#1955A5">Social Security</span></span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/">account</a> will need to create their account by November 19 to view their notice online.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline;user-select: text;-webkit-user-drag: none;-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;overflow-wrap: break-word;white-space:pre-wrap;font-kerning: none">
<span class="normaltextrun"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Note:</span></b></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> Those receiving both Social Security benefits and
</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SSI<span style="color:black"> payments will receive a COLA notice for each. SSI COLA notices are not currently available online.</span></span></span><span class="eop"><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline;user-select: text;-webkit-user-drag: none;-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;overflow-wrap: break-word;white-space:pre-wrap;font-kerning: none">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Information about Medicare changes for 2026, including for the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA), will be available at
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.medicare.gov/" target="_blank"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color:#0072CD;text-decoration:none">www.medicare.gov</span></span></a><span class="normaltextrun">\u202fwhen announced.</span></span><span class="eop"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers as determined by the Department of Labor\u2019s Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can learn more at
<a href="http://www.ssa.gov/cola">www.ssa.gov/cola</a>.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Frank J. Bisignano</span></span><span class="scxw205895389"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<span class="normaltextrun">Commissioner</span><span class="eop"> </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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