Will 2025 COLA increase apply to my December Social Security payment if I start at FRA in November?

Yes, you WILL get the COLA increase in January even if you just started collecting in October! I went through this exact situation last year. My first check came in November 2024, then in January 2025 it went up with the COLA increase like everyone else's did. The SSA applies COLA to ALL current beneficiaries regardless of when you started receiving benefits. It's one of the few things they handle automatically without requiring any action from you!

my sister startd getting her SS checks in August and she got the COLA in January so yep it applies to everyone no matter when u started

What you're asking about is a common source of confusion. To clarify: The COLA (Cost-of-Living Adjustment) announced in October 2025 will take effect for ALL Social Security recipients starting with their January 2026 payment, regardless of when they started receiving benefits. So yes, if you start benefits in September 2025 with first payment in October 2025: - October, November, December 2025: You'll receive your initial benefit amount - January 2026 onward: You'll receive your initial benefit amount PLUS the COLA percentage increase One thing to note: The COLA announced this October (2024) will already be factored into the benefit estimate you're seeing on your statement. Your actual starting benefit will include this year's COLA already.

My husband just went thru this. Started SS in July, got first payment August. SSA just sends one letter with your payment amount when you start. Then in December they send ANOTHER letter with your new amount after COLA. No explanation that its COLA increase just shows new amount starting January. Kind of confusing actually! But yes you'll get the raise.

I'd just like to add that when you file for your benefits at FRA in September 2025, be prepared for possible delays. The end of the year is always a busy time at SSA with people rushing to file before year-end for various reasons. I recommend filing online 3 months before you want benefits to begin (so June 2025 in your case) to ensure everything processes smoothly. If you need to speak with an agent about your application status or have questions, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an SSA representative in 20 minutes after I had been trying for days on my own. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. It saved me so much frustration when I needed to clarify some details about my WEP adjustment.

Wait Im confused...I thought the COLA for 2025 is already announced? Didn't they say it was 2.6% last week?? Or are we talking about different things here???

While everyone has correctly noted that you'll get the COLA increase in January regardless of when you started receiving benefits, there's another important point worth mentioning: the actual COLA percentage isn't arbitrary - it's based on the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) from the third quarter of the previous year. The SSA calculates the percentage increase by comparing Q3 (July, August, September) of the current year to Q3 of the previous year. That's why the announcement always comes in October after they have all the September data. So while we don't know what the 2026 COLA will be yet, if inflation stays at current levels, you might expect something in the 2-3% range, which would increase your $2,450 benefit by approximately $49-$74 per month starting in January 2026.

btw does anyone know when the payments hit your account? my retirement starts in december and im trying to figure out when ill get paid

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in benefits administration (not SSA, but similar federal program). The folks above are absolutely correct - COLA increases apply to ALL current beneficiaries regardless of when you started receiving benefits. It's actually one of the most straightforward aspects of Social Security! One small tip: when you do start receiving benefits in October 2025, I'd recommend setting up a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You'll be able to see your payment history, download your benefit verification letters, and most importantly, you can see exactly how the COLA increase affects your benefit amount in real-time when it gets applied in January 2026. Good luck with your retirement planning! It sounds like you're being very thoughtful about the timing and budget considerations.

I just wanted to add something that might be helpful for your planning - when you do get that COLA increase in January 2026, remember that it might also affect your Medicare Part B premium if you're enrolled in Medicare. The standard Part B premium is typically deducted directly from your Social Security benefit, and sometimes the premium increases can offset part of your COLA increase. For 2025, the standard Part B premium is $185 per month, but they usually announce the following year's premium amount around the same time as the COLA announcement in October. So when you're calculating your net benefit increase for January 2026, you'll want to factor in any potential Medicare premium changes too. Just something to keep in mind since you mentioned you're trying to budget for next year! The good news is that even with Medicare premium adjustments, you typically still come out ahead with the COLA increase.