2025 Social Security COLA: Expected Impact on Disability Benefits

By Madz Dizon

Jun 28, 2024 06:06 AM EDT

2025 Social Security COLA: Expected Impact on Disability Benefits — U.S. Treasury checks are piled at the U.S. Treasury printing facility July 18, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Photo : William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

According to a recent analysis, Medicare and Social Security analyst Mary Johnson projects that in 2025, the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits will be lower.

Relative to her May projection of 3.2 percent, she now projects a 3 percent increase in payments for seniors, survivors, as well as those with disabilities.

Analysts Forecast Modest 2025 Social Security COLA Increase

Other specialists concur with Johnson's lower 2025 prediction. The COLA projection of Blacksmith Professional Services and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), according to Alex Moore, has decreased from 2.66 percent to 2.57%.

According to Marca, CalculatedRisk, a financial blog, projects that the 2025 COLA will be between 2.5 and 3 percent, which would be the lowest rise since the 1.3 percent hike in 2021. An even more modest estimate of 2.5 percent is provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

The Social Security Administration will declare the official 2025 COLA rate in October. It is important for beneficiaries to account for the possibility that their benefits may decrease in comparison to prior years, as indicated by these forecasts, while making financial plans.

Slower Rise in Necessary Product Costs

A benefit of a relatively modest COLA is that the costs of the necessary products and services used in the computation haven't climbed as much as in prior years, even though recent COLAs may have pampered Social Security recipients.

Retirement costs are not necessarily a direct correlation between spending and COLA increases because retirees may have costs for long-term care and certain insurance payments that are not included in the CPI-W.

Still, any growth ought to be applauded, regardless of its magnitude. Just remember to keep your expectations in check when you're budgeting for your retirement, The Motley Fool reported.