Social Security Says 2026 Payments Will be Adjusted Despite Shutdown

A spokesperson for the agency told The Epoch Times that it will release its highly anticipated 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on Oct. 24.

Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the US Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 18, 2011. William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

The Social Security Administration said Tuesday that it will release its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for next year’s payments and confirmed the ongoing government shutdown won’t impact payments being sent out in 2026.

In a statement late last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed that the September 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will be released on Oct. 24. It added that the release gives the Social Security Administration the capacity “to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits.”