The Social Security Administration won't officially announce the 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) until October, but there's already a lot of interest in how it will affect retirees' checks. Retired workers aren't the only ones who will see a boost, though. Those who qualify for spousal Social Security benefits will also get more money next year.
We don't know exactly how big the increase will be, but we can speculate based on what we know about current spousal benefits and the latest projections of the 2025 COLA. Here's a closer look at how spousal benefits might change next year.
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How big will the 2025 Social Security COLA be?
Social Security COLAs are based on third-quarter inflation data, which is why we won't know the 2025 COLA until October. But with inflation cooling, it's safe to assume it's going to be lower than the 3.2% COLA Social Security beneficiaries got in 2024 and well under the 8.7% they saw in 2022 amid sky-high inflation.
The latest projections estimate the 2025 COLA coming in at around 2.63%, according to The Senior Citizens League. That would add about $50 per month to the average retired worker's benefit of $1,918 per month as of June 2024.
Spousal benefits will see a smaller bump -- just $24 per month more than the June 2024 average of $911 per month. This makes sense because COLAs are based on a percentage of your checks and spousal benefits are lower than retirement benefits.
The average couple earning one retirement benefit and one spousal benefit will get about $74 more per month next year. However, you might get more than this if your monthly checks are larger than the averages cited above.
What if the COLA isn't enough?
If you're worried that the 2025 COLA may not provide you with enough money to cover your living expenses, don't panic. We still have a few months to go and there is a slight chance that the COLA climbs a little. The current 2.63% estimate is already up a little from 2.57% in June. However, it's not likely that you'll rake in hundreds more per month if you're receiving average benefit checks.
Once you know the official COLA, you can begin to plan your budget for next year. If your checks don't go as far as they did before, you may have to supplement them by withdrawing more money from your personal savings. You could also diversify your retirement income by working a part-time job or renting out properties you own.
Other government benefits may also be available to you. Supplemental Security Income (SSI), for example, is a monthly benefit administered by the Social Security Administration to the blind, disabled, and low-income seniors. This is a regular monthly check that could pay up to $943 per month in 2024 for qualifying individuals or $1,415 per month for couples. These maximum amounts are also increased by the Social Security COLA each year.
You don't have to wait until the COLA announcement to start looking into these other retirement income sources. Feel free to start researching now if you think one or more of these strategies could improve your quality of life in retirement.
