Social Security benefits should increase modestly in 2025

Social Security benefits should increase modestly in 2025. Andy Markowitz reports for AARP that we won’t know for sure what the Social Security cost of living increase will be in 2025 until October. But, preliminary numbers suggest an increase of close to three percent.

In July, the Consumer Price Index was up 2.9 percent from the year before. The federal government bases its Social Security increase on the rise in the Consumer Price Index in July, August and September. Inflation is slowing down, so the increase in Social Security benefits may be closer to 2.6 percent.

Prices remain high for lots of goods and services that older adults and people with disabilities need, including food and health care. So, some experts believe that August and September inflation numbers could bring up the Social Security COLA to as much as 3.25 percent.

If Social Security benefits rise 2.9 percent, people will see, on average, an increase of $54 in their Social Security benefits, to $1,924, beginning in January. Survivor benefits would increase by $44 to $1,552, on average. Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI) would increase $45, on average, to $1,583.

Social Security benefits are, thankfully, inflation-protected. Unfortunately, the cost-of-living increase calculation is based in large part on the basket of goods people under 65 purchase and not exclusively on the basket of goods older adults and people with disabilities need. Consequently, if health care costs rise faster than other goods, the Social Security adjustment is often not as large as it needs to be to make people with Medicare whole.

In their 2024 Annual Report, Medicare’s Trustees predicted that the monthly Medicare Part B premium would increase from $174.70 to $185 in 2025. So, if the Social Security COLA increases by $54, on average, people will only see a $43.70 increase in their benefits. The other $10.30 will be deducted from their Social Security checks to cover the additional portion of their Medicare Part B premium.

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Comments

One response to “Social Security benefits should increase modestly in 2025”

  1. B.C. Shelby Avatar

    …crikey 2.9 – 3%, that will barely cover the increase in my power bill.

    Groceries are still overpriced and if the Kroger/Albertsons merger goes through, it will be even worse because Kroger will pretty much be the only act in the inner neighbourhoods where I live (all Safeways including the one only three blocks away, will be sold off which means the closest grocery and pharmacy will be over a mile walk away).

    Hopefully there is not also a rent increase as my building was taken over by a new management company.

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