Do Social Security COLA increases apply in January or my birth month when starting at FRA?

The COLA increase applies to all benefits starting in January, regardless of your birth month. If you start benefits in January 2025, you would automatically get the COLA increase that takes effect that month. Your birth month only matters for WHEN you become eligible for benefits at FRA, not for COLA timing. If you're already at FRA, you can choose to start benefits in any month, and the COLA would apply in January no matter what month you started in. So if you started in March 2024, you'd get your initial benefit amount for 10 months, then the COLA-adjusted amount starting January 2025.

wont matter anyway, that COLA is a joke. My increase this year barely covered the increase in my Medicare premium lol

I had the EXACT same question last year! The SSA website isn't very clear about this. But when I finally got through to someone, they confirmed what the other commenter said - COLA applies in January regardless of your birth month or when you started benefits. Just make sure you actually APPLY for benefits a few months before you want them to start though! I waited until the last minute and my first payment was delayed.

I was trying to figure this out too, ended up calling SSA after trying for DAYS. The COLA applies in January, not your birth month. The real question you should be asking is whether to take benefits in January or delay a little longer for the delayed retirement credits if you're past FRA. Each month you delay past FRA increases your benefit by 2/3 of 1%, which is 8% per year! So it's a real consideration before jumping in for the COLA.

To simplify what others have said: The COLA increase is effective for all benefits paid for January, regardless of when you started collecting or your birth month. The Social Security Administration typically announces the COLA in October for the following year. If you're already at FRA and considering when to claim, remember: 1. Each month you delay past FRA increases your benefit by 2/3 of 1% (8% annually) 2. The COLA will be applied to your benefit amount each January 3. When you do decide to claim, submit your application 3-4 months before your desired start date If you're finding it difficult to reach SSA by phone, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to a live SSA agent without the crazy wait times. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. I used them when I needed to sort out some issues with my application and got through in minutes instead of hours.

NOBODY seems to be mentioning that if you start benefits mid-year, you DON'T get the full COLA for that calendar year!!! The COLA is prorated based on how many months you've been receiving benefits!!! At least that's what happened to my sister - she started in June and her first January increase was only like HALF of what was announced on the news!!! SSA is SO CONFUSING!!!

I just went through this whole process. One thing no one mentioned: if your FRA is in March and you want January benefits, you actually need to SPECIFY that when you apply. Otherwise they assume you want benefits starting in your birth month. Just a heads up since the online application can be confusing.

Did anyone have issues with their COLA not showing up correctly in the MySocialSecurity portal? Mine showed the wrong amount last year and it took MONTHS to get it fixed...

I want to thank everyone for the helpful responses! Based on what you've all shared, I'm going to apply for benefits to start in January 2025 so I can get the COLA increase right away. I'll make sure to submit my application a few months in advance as suggested. I'm also going to check out that Claimyr service for getting through to SSA - sounds much better than waiting on hold for hours. Really appreciate all the insights!