Many are complaining that the boost doesn’t support seniors.
The 2025 cost of living adjustment for Social Security payments will be 2.5 percent, the Social Security Administration announced Thursday morning. Newsweek spoke with an expert about why seniors are upset and what they can expect financially in the upcoming year.
While the 2.5 percent increase will translate to roughly $50 more in seniors’ monthly payments, many are complaining that the boost doesn’t accurately reflect the inflation retirees are facing on everything from groceries to healthcare.
In recent years, seniors have become accustomed to larger COLAs due to high inflation rates in the aftermath of the pandemic. For 2024, the COLA was 3.4 percent, while 2023 saw Social Security payments increase by a whopping 8.7 percent.
The following reveals how the 2025 COLA compares to previous years, with each year listing the COLA decided in that year for the following year’s Social Security payments:
So, while the 2.5 percent COLA for 2025 might be far less than the most recent years’ increases, it actually measures higher than historic trends during many periods.
