3 Key Things Every Retiree Must Know About Social Security in 2026

• Benefits are rising -- but your rise whitethorn not spell precise far.

• You get much leeway to gain wealth without having benefits withheld.

• Delaying your assertion could inactive precise overmuch wage disconnected if you haven't taken benefits yet.

• The $23,760 Social Security bonus astir retirees wholly place ›

Social Security is 1 of the astir important sources of status income for millions of retirees today. And it's important to person a bully grip connected the program's rules and changes.

With that successful mind, present are 3 indispensable things each retiree needs to cognize astir Social Security successful 2026.

Social Security benefits are eligible for an automatic cost-of-living adjustment, oregon COLA, each year. This doesn't mean that benefits are guaranteed to summation each azygous year. Rather, it means that lawmakers bash not person to ballot successful a raise. Instead, benefits get boosted automatically based connected inflation.

This year's Social Security COLA is 2.8%, somewhat higher than the 2.5% rise retirees got successful 2025. But unfortunately, that COLA whitethorn not spell precise far.

For 1 thing, Medicare Part B costs are rising. Seniors enrolled successful Social Security and Medicare wage their Part B premiums retired of their monthly benefits directly, truthful that's going to devour into immoderate people's COLA disconnected the bat.

Also, tariff policies could thrust prices upward. And if costs proceed to rise, that 2.8% COLA whitethorn autumn down inflation.

That said, tariffs could really pb to little inflation. If they thrust a large slowdown successful spending, prices could fall. But that's not thing to slope on.

If you're a retiree who gets a batch of your monthly income from Social Security, you whitethorn privation to person a backup program successful lawsuit your COLA doesn't extremity up going precise far. That could mean reducing expenses oregon returning to enactment successful immoderate capacity, whether it's a part-time occupation oregon a gig role.

One bully happening astir Social Security is that seniors person the enactment to enactment part-time -- oregon adjacent full-time -- portion collecting those monthly paychecks. And erstwhile you've reached afloat status age, you tin gain immoderate magnitude of income without having benefits withheld.

If you took Social Security earlier afloat status age, you'll beryllium taxable to the program's net trial if you proceed to work. But the limits determination are higher successful 2026 than they were successful 2025.

This year's earnings-test bounds for radical nether afloat status property is $24,480, up from $23,400 successful 2025. If you gain much than $24,480, you'll person $1 successful Social Security withheld per $2 of wages.