Ascent/ Pks Media Inc. | Photodisc | Getty Images Many Social Security beneficiaries will soon receive their first benefit checks for 2026. Jan. 14 marks the earliest date beneficiaries can receive January payments, depending on the Social Security Administration’s schedule based on date of birth. Those checks will include a 2.8% benefit boost, thanks to…
Alessandro Biascioli | Istock | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries will soon receive statements showing how much of their total benefits received in 2025 may be subject to federal taxes. Changes enacted by Congress this year mean there’s more reason to pay attention to those tax documents. The forms, known as the SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S,…
Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images Even before they start receiving Social Security checks, millions of Americans rely on the Social Security Administration for information on when to claim retirement benefits and for help if their Social Security number has been compromised. This week, the House of Representatives passed several bills aimed at improving…
Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images The new 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment doesn’t just increase Social Security checks, starting with January payments — it also boosts thresholds related to the maximum retirement benefit. The maximum Social Security benefit for workers who claim at full retirement age will increase to $4,152 per month in 2026, up…
Inflation edged higher in September amid a jump in gasoline prices and other essentials such as electricity, while President Donald Trump’s tariffs put pressure on prices for physical goods such as clothing and furniture, economists said. The consumer price index, a key inflation barometer, rose 3% in September from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics…
Jasondoiy | E+ | Getty Images The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will be 2.8% in 2026, the Social Security Administration said on Friday. Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $56 per month on average starting in January, according to the agency. The COLA provides an annual adjustment to both Social Security and Supplemental…
Brothers91 | E+ | Getty Images Deciding when to claim Social Security retirement benefits is a big decision — and Congress is looking at changing the program’s wording to help people better understand their options. Understanding the trade-offs for claiming at different ages can be confusing, and some experts say the terms the agency currently…
A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington, DC, March 26, 2025. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” provides relief to certain Social Security beneficiaries who pay taxes on their benefits. But it doesn’t eliminate those levies entirely. Now, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, introduced a bill on Thursday…
People shop at a supermarket in Rockville, Maryland, on July 18, 2025. Sha Hanting | China News Service | VCG | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries may see a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment in 2026, according to new estimates from policy experts, based on the latest government inflation data. That projected increase would be higher than…
The U.S. Capitol Building is reflected in the Capitol Reflecting Pool at sunset on June 18, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Kevin Carter | Getty Images News | Getty Images Some Americans ages 65 and over may be poised to see additional tax relief if Republicans’ “big beautiful” bill becomes law. Now that the Senate and…
