(NEXSTAR) – Social Security beneficiaries could see a slightly larger bump in their checks in 2026, according to a new projection from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL).

The TSCL model predicts that the cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be 2.7 percent next year, up from 2.5 percent in 2025.

“Seniors across America are holding their breath as we wait for the official COLA announcement in October,” TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton said in a statement. “Our research shows that about 39 percent of seniors depend on their benefits for all their income, so the COLA announcement has a direct effect on their quality of life.”

If the official announcement on Oct. 15 matches the projection, it would raise the average benefit for retired workers by $54, from $2,008 to $2,062. The estimated increase would still be less than the 2024 COLA of 3.2 percent.

The annual updates are meant to protect the purchasing power of Social Security beneficiaries when it comes to basic necessities such as food, housing and medicine. Increases vary and are meant to track inflation data.

A report on inflation Thursday showed prices are continuing to rise faster for U.S. households than the Fed hopes, but only by what economists expected. Consumers paid prices for food, gasoline and other costs of living that were 2.9% higher in August than a year earlier, a slight acceleration from July’s 2.7% inflation rate.

“Many seniors believe inflation is much higher than the COLA estimates,” Benton said. “For example, TSCL’s estimates that about 80 percent of seniors believed inflation in 2024 was substantially higher than the 2.5 percent COLA implemented to make up for it at the beginning of 2025.”

Over 72 million Americans received Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits in 2025.

Along with a potentially higher COLA, another change is coming – on Sept. 30, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will stop mailing paper checks to the nearly 400,000 people who still receive them. The change was outlined in a March executive order by President Trump.

Those beneficiaries who want to be exempt from the change can file a waiver with the U.S. Treasury by calling (800) 967-5042.

The SSA encourages beneficiaries to go paperless by either signing up for direct deposit or, for those without a bank account, enrolling to receive a prepaid debit card.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(NEXSTAR) – Social Security beneficiaries could see a slightly larger bump in their checks in 2026, according to a new projection from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL).

The TSCL model predicts that the cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be 2.7 percent next year, up from 2.5 percent in 2025.

“Seniors across America are holding their breath as we wait for the official COLA announcement in October,” TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton said in a statement. “Our research shows that about 39 percent of seniors depend on their benefits for all their income, so the COLA announcement has a direct effect on their quality of life.”

If the official announcement on Oct. 15 matches the projection, it would raise the average benefit for retired workers by $54, from $2,008 to $2,062. The estimated increase would still be less than the 2024 COLA of 3.2 percent.

The annual updates are meant to protect the purchasing power of Social Security beneficiaries when it comes to basic necessities such as food, housing and medicine. Increases vary and are meant to track inflation data.

A report on inflation Thursday showed prices are continuing to rise faster for U.S. households than the Fed hopes, but only by what economists expected. Consumers paid prices for food, gasoline and other costs of living that were 2.9% higher in August than a year earlier, a slight acceleration from July’s 2.7% inflation rate.

“Many seniors believe inflation is much higher than the COLA estimates,” Benton said. “For example, TSCL’s estimates that about 80 percent of seniors believed inflation in 2024 was substantially higher than the 2.5 percent COLA implemented to make up for it at the beginning of 2025.”

Over 72 million Americans received Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits in 2025.

Along with a potentially higher COLA, another change is coming – on Sept. 30, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will stop mailing paper checks to the nearly 400,000 people who still receive them. The change was outlined in a March executive order by President Trump.

Those beneficiaries who want to be exempt from the change can file a waiver with the U.S. Treasury by calling (800) 967-5042.

The SSA encourages beneficiaries to go paperless by either signing up for direct deposit or, for those without a bank account, enrolling to receive a prepaid debit card.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.