Will 2025 COLA increase apply to my Social Security benefits starting in February?

The 2025 COLA should absolutely be included in your February payment. When you elect to start benefits in January 2025, your base amount is calculated first, then the COLA is applied to that amount. The mySocialSecurity portal sometimes doesn't reflect the COLA until it's actually processed in January. What you're seeing is probably your pre-COLA amount. Once your first payment processes, you should see the correct amount with COLA included.

same boat here...retiring dec 26 and my first payment is in january. ssa rep told me cola is already factored into what they quoted me but online amount looks different. who knows what to believe with these people?

I had a similar situation but with 2024 COLA. Started benefits in January 2024 and my payment DID include the COLA adjustment that was announced in Oct 2023. I think you'll be fine!

The COLA implementation is often misunderstood. Here's how it works: The 2025 COLA would apply to ALL benefit payments made in 2025, regardless of when you started receiving benefits. Since your first payment will be in February 2025 (for January benefits), it will include the 2025 COLA increase. What confuses people is that the online estimate tools don't always reflect the most current COLA until the actual processing begins. The SSA updates their payment systems in late December/early January to incorporate the new COLA rates. Your award letter probably shows the pre-COLA amount because those are often generated using the previous year's calculation tables. Once your benefit is actually processed in January, the COLA will be automatically applied. You don't need to do anything special to receive it.

Trust me, calling Social Security directly to confirm is the best approach here. I spent 3 hours trying to get through last month for a similar question. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in 20 minutes who confirmed exactly how my COLA would be applied. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration! The agent was able to look at my specific record and confirm that yes, my February payment (for January benefits) would include the full 2025 COLA.

Just your basic information that you'd provide for any SSA call. They just connect you to SSA faster - you're still talking directly with official Social Security representatives who can access your specific records.

My mom just went through this exact thing!!!!! The website was showing one amount and then when her first payment hit in January it was higher because of COLA. Don't worry you'll get the increase automatically.

Just to add some clarity here - the COLA for 2025 will be applied to your benefits starting with your January payment (which you'll receive in February). The confusion often happens because: 1. The SSA systems sometimes show pre-COLA amounts until the actual payment processing begins 2. Award letters and estimates generated before January may not reflect the COLA 3. Different benefits (retirement, disability, SSI) can have slightly different processing schedules The important thing to understand is that your benefit amount is first calculated based on your earnings record and claiming age, then the COLA is applied as a percentage increase to that base amount. Since you're starting benefits in January 2025, you'll receive the full COLA for the year in your payments. If you want to double-check, when you receive your official award letter (which may arrive after your application is fully processed), it should indicate your exact payment amount including the COLA.

Has anyone else noticed the website estimates are almost ALWAYS wrong by a few dollars anyway? My actual payment ended up being $13 different than what the estimate said, even after COLA. Some weird calculation thing they do at the end I guess.

Update: I finally got through to SSA this morning after trying for days! They confirmed that yes, my February payment (for January) WILL include the 2025 COLA. The representative explained that what I'm seeing online is my base amount before the COLA adjustment. She said the online portal won't display the updated amount until my claim is fully processed in January. Mystery solved! Thanks everyone for your help.