When does the COLA increase actually show up in Social Security deposits? Got a random $20 bump

The COLA increase for Social Security benefits is applied to your January payment each year, which most people receive in January (but technically it's for the December benefit). So yes, what you're seeing is your 2025 COLA adjustment. If your payment only went up by $20 on a $1,650 benefit, that's roughly a 1.2% increase, which is less than the announced COLA of 2.5%. You should check your mySocialSecurity account online to see your benefit calculation notice - there might be other factors affecting your payment amount.

i got mine and it went up about 40 bucks, but i think they also raised the medicare part b premium this year so maybe thats why yours looks smaller? the part b premium comes out before u get your money

The Medicare Part B premium increased by $10.40 for 2025, going from $174.70 to $185.10 per month for most beneficiaries. This increase is automatically deducted from your Social Security payment before you receive it. So if you were supposed to get a 2.5% COLA increase on $1,650 (about $41.25), but then had the Medicare premium increase of $10.40 subtracted, you'd end up with a net increase of about $30.85. If you're only seeing $20, there might be something else affecting your payment - perhaps an adjustment for overpayment, change in tax withholding, or another deduction. I would recommend calling SSA directly to get an explanation. It can take weeks to get through on their 800 number though.

THE SSA ALWAYS MESSES THIS UP!! My COLA increase was wrong last year too and when I finally got someone on the phone (after 3 tries) they admitted they made a calculation error!!! CHECK YOUR BENEFIT VERIFICATION LETTER and DEMAND they fix it if it's wrong!!!

Update: I finally got into my mySocialSecurity account and you all were right - it was the Medicare Part B premium increase that ate into my COLA. My actual increase was $41.25, but after the higher Medicare premium, it dropped to $30.85. And then I also have a Part D plan that went up by $10.50, so that's why I only saw about $20 more in my bank account. Thanks everyone for helping me understand! Wish they'd explain this better when they announce the COLA each year.

My brother and I were just talking about this yesterday! He got his increase but I haven't seen mine yet. Does anyone know if they send them out in batches? My birthday is on the 28th so I usually get paid later in the month. Will I see my COLA in January too or do I have to wait for my regular payment date?

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to Social Security (just started receiving benefits last year) and had no idea about how Medicare premiums could affect the COLA increase. I was also confused when my payment didn't go up by the full 2.5% that was announced. For anyone else who might be confused like I was - the mySocialSecurity online account really does show the breakdown clearly. It separates out your gross benefit amount (which includes the full COLA) from all the deductions. Makes it much easier to understand what's happening with your payment. Thanks to everyone who explained this so well!

This is exactly why I always tell people to check their online account after the New Year! The Medicare premium increases can really catch people off guard. What's frustrating is that sometimes the Medicare Part D premiums vary by plan, so even people with the same Social Security benefit can see different net increases depending on which drug plan they chose during open enrollment. I've been getting Social Security for about 8 years now and I still have to remind myself every January that my COLA isn't just a simple percentage calculation - there are always other moving pieces. At least now with the online portal it's much easier to see the breakdown than it used to be when we had to wait for paper statements!

As someone who's been helping family members navigate Social Security for years, I want to add one more thing that might help others understand their payments better. If you have taxes withheld from your Social Security benefits (federal or state), those withholding amounts can also change from year to year, which adds another layer to why your net increase might be different than expected. The IRS adjusts tax withholding tables periodically, and sometimes people forget they elected to have taxes taken out when they first started receiving benefits. So even after accounting for the Medicare premium increases, you might still see a difference if your tax withholding changed. The key is really that online mySocialSecurity account - it breaks down everything line by line so you can see your gross benefit, COLA increase, Medicare premiums, tax withholding, and any other deductions. It's honestly the best tool they've given us to understand our payments!