Social Security retirees get benefit increases over time to make sure that benefits keep pace with inflation. In 2026, retirees got a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which was larger than the 2.5% COLA in 2025.
While every retiree gets the same percentage increase to their benefits, some retirees get a larger dollar-for-dollar raise than others.
If your Social Security benefit was higher than a specific amount, you will be one of them.
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A Social Security benefit above this amount means your COLA is above average
In 2025, the average monthly Social Security benefit was $2,015. That is the average benefit among all retired workers, according to the Social Security Administration. Based on this data, a retiree who collected the average $2,015 monthly benefit in 2025 would have received an average raise of around $56.42 going into 2026. This brought the new average monthly benefit to around $2,071 this year.
Since the COLA is calculated by applying the percentage increase to your benefit amount, those who had a benefit above $2,015 in 2025 received a bigger-than-average benefit increase, while anyone collecting more than $2,071 this year will receive a larger-than-average adjustment if there is a COLA in 2027.
Take, for example, someone who is collecting the maximum $5,251 monthly Social Security benefit in 2026. Applying a 2.8% COLA to that amount would provide a $147.03 increase in monthly benefits -- significantly more than the typical senior getting a Social Security COLA.
Because the benefits increase is based on a percentage of the current benefit, it will always result in payments increasing by more dollars when you're starting from a bigger baseline.
Increasing your Social Security benefit can result in larger raises later
Once you understand that receiving an above-average benefit can lead to your benefits increasing by a larger amount each year, you may want to try to increase the benefits you collect.
Since benefits are based on average indexed earnings, as well as when you claimed them, your best option is to try to work and earn more, and to try to wait as long as possible after full retirement age to claim your Social Security.
The larger starting payments and bigger increases later can make waiting well worth it for many seniors -- especially those worried about not having enough in their retirement plans to be financially comfortable during their later years.
