In 2026, for example, the average Social Security benefit is around $2,071 per month. That's after applying the Social Security COLA, which increased benefits by 2.8% compared to 2025. The maximum benefit, though, is $5,251 in 2026.

A new report from The Washington Post outlined backlogs faced by the Social Security Administration this year.

Knowing exactly when your Social Security check will arrive can help you budget better and plan for your monthly expenses more effectively.

More than a half-dozen changes, ranging from the amount beneficiaries receive each month to the payroll tax liability of workers, are now in effect.

Get to know more about the big social social security changes happening in 2026, which include cost of living adjustments and Medicare increases.

The 2026 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is 2.8%. This is the increase all Social Security beneficiaries, including disabled and spousal beneficiaries, will receive, beginning with their January check. This is expected to raise the average monthly benefit from $2,015 to $2,071 -- a $56 increase. Some people may get more, though.

Former software executive investing in cybersecurity security & data. UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 20: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant leave Cinema One after watching the premiere of the Led Zeppelin movie "The Song Remains the Same.

A new analysis by the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) reveals that communities nationwide have lost 9 percent of their Social Security field office staff over the past year, with some states seeing drops above 20 percent in staffing levels at local offices.