For seniors on Social Security, October tends to be a very important month. The reason? October is when the Social Security Administration (SSA) typically announces each year’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

The purpose of Social Security COLAs is to help ensure that benefits are able to keep up with inflation. It used to be that lawmakers had to vote in a COLA for benefits to increase. But since the mid-1970s, Social Security COLAs have been automatic.

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This doesn’t mean seniors on Social Security have gotten a raise every year from that point onward. Rather, it’s that those benefits have been eligible for an increase based on third quarter inflation data from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

If you’re eager to know what next year’s COLA will look like, you may need to sit tight a bit longer. The COLA was initially expected to be released on Oct. 15. Here’s when that information is now expected to come out — and why it’s been delayed.

The government shutdown rears its ugly head

When the government shutdown began, seniors on Social Security were assured that their monthly benefit payments would not be interrupted. But that doesn’t mean that the shutdown hasn’t affected Social Security in other ways.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is responsible for releasing inflation data, was affected by the shutdown. As a result, reports the BLS is responsible for have been delayed. That includes September’s CPI-W, which was initially slated for an Oct. 15 release.

The BLS is now expected to release that data on Friday, Oct. 24. Once it comes out, the SSA should be able to calculate a 2026 COLA, since it already has inflation data for July and August.

Of course, this doesn’t automatically mean that Oct. 24 is when you’ll hear that COLA announcement. But the SSA typically unveils a COLA the same day September’s CPI-W comes out. So there’s a good chance we’ll get a same-day announcement this time around.

What to expect out of 2026’s COLA

Initial estimates are calling for a larger Social Security COLA in 2026 than in 2025, when benefits rose 2.5%. This doesn’t mean that next year’s COLA will be much higher, though.

The nonpartisan Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group, says it’s expecting a 2.7% COLA. Other estimates have been a touch higher.

Of course, that 2.7% estimate does not account for inflation data from September. If inflation rose a lot last month, it could lead to a larger bump for Social Security in 2026.

But even if 2026’s COLA ends up being more generous than expected, that doesn’t mean it’ll do the trick of helping you keep up with rising costs. In fact, Social Security recipients have been losing out on buying power for years because of insufficient COLAs, so it’s best not to have high hopes for 2026.

Also remember that an increase in Medicare premiums could cut into your 2026 COLA. So you shouldn’t assume it’ll be the answer to your financial struggles.

What you should do going into the new year, however, is assess your financial picture. Figure out what your expenses look like and which, if any, you can reduce.

You may, for example, be able to get a break on your car insurance if you switch to a pay-per-mile plan, which may fit your current lifestyle if you don’t drive a lot. Or, you may be able to find a new cable provider and save money that way.

Also see if there’s a way to boost your income. That could mean working part-time or renting out a room in your home if your monthly Social Security checks aren’t enough.

Hopefully, an official COLA announcement for 2026 should arrive soon enough. But you should realize that next year’s COLA might disappoint you, even if the number is higher than expected. The sooner you prepare for that, the less financial stress you might encounter in the new year.