COLA

New Online Social Security COLA Notices

September 27, 2018 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: November 3, 2023

man on computer We are constantly expanding our online services to give you freedom and control when doing business with us. Our new online cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) notices are another example of our commitment in this area.

Later this year, we will post the Social Security COLA notices online for retirement, survivors, and disability beneficiaries with a personal my Social Security account. The announcement of the COLA amount will occur in October, but final benefit amounts won’t be calculated and available until December, when we mail COLA notices that contain the benefit amount for the next calendar year.

These COLA notices will now be available to view and save via the online Message Center inside my Social Security. The Message Center is a secure, convenient portal where you can receive sensitive communications we don’t send through email or text.

This year, individuals will still receive COLA notices by mail. In the future, they will be able to choose whether they receive their notice online instead of on paper.

Online notices will not be available to representative payees, individuals with foreign mailing addresses, or those who pay higher Medicare premiums due to their income. We plan to expand the availability of COLA notices to additional online customers in the future.

Remember, our services are always free of charge. No government agency or reputable company will solicit your personal information by email or request advanced fees for services in the form of wire transfers or gift cards. Avoid falling victim to fraudulent internet “phishing” schemes by not revealing personal information, selecting malicious links, or opening malicious attachments. You can learn more about the ways we protect your investment, personal information, and my Social Security account here.

Social Security’s online services make it easy to have the best experience possible by putting you in control of your time. Sign up for or log in to your personal my Social Security account today and choose email or text under “Message Center Preferences” to receive courtesy notifications so you won’t miss your electronic COLA notice!

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About the Author

Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications

Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications

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Comments

  1. Helaine B.

    I thought we were getting a 2.8% increase. When was it decreased?

    • AKA

      Who says it is decreased?

  2. Elizabeth B.

    I have not received my new Medicare card.

  3. TERRY R.

    PLEASE SEND INFORMATION AS TO THE
    INCREASE AMOUNTS.

  4. Michael S.

    Am I required to pay Medicare with my Soc Security or can I just charge it to my credit card?

    • Laurie B.

      Part A & B are automatically deducted from your monthly payment before you get it. You cannot use any other method to make payment as far as I know.

    • John

      If your check is large enough to cover the deduction then the premium comes out of the check, if not, they send you a bill.

  5. Janice R.

    MONTHS AGO I was notified that new Medicaid ID cards – not showing complete Social Security number – were being sent out. WHEN is this going to be implemented for me???

    • AKA

      Soon

  6. gary o.

    If the economy is doing so great, the COLA should be reflective in that amount. The past few years SS has been kept down due to a ‘poor’ economy so with the higher prices in this new economic boom SS Earners will be short changed again.

    • John

      Inflation effects the COLA, not the state of the economy.

      • Patrick M.

        they both go hand in hand what affects one also affects the other.

        • Tom

          You could also become an informed citizen and do your homework rather than watch TV and assume you are being told what you need to know or the truth. Congress (who you elect at least every 2 years) determines which economic indices the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to determine inflation. They are told by the people you elect not to use energy or medical costs. So if you share your complaints here rather than do anything really effective, and continue to vote for the folks doing this to you, you are actually part of the problem and not the solution.

          • Marc

            You took the words right out of my mouth. THANK YOU!!!

      • R.F.

        The Social Security Act ties the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information about COLA, visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov/cola. Thanks!

    • Domingo

      That’s a serious problem. As soon as the economy starts to improve, everyone want’s a larger piece of the pie. There is still a matter of a $20 trillion dollar deficit.

      • Richard S.

        that is when our Government pays our national debit.

  7. Beaver N.

    Hello Jim –

    Thank you for sending information regrading social security benefits.

  8. LISA P.

    Can U TELL ABOUT MY APPEAL I BEEN WAITING 1 AND HALF PLEASE THANK U MY NAME IS LISA D PIERCE MY BIRTHDAY IS 04/28/1972 AND MY SOCIAL SECURITY number IS XXX-XX-XXXX AND MY ADDRESS IS XXX E. SAN YSIDRO BLVD SAN YSIDRO CA 92173 AND MY PHONE NUMBER IS 6195642111 THANK U

    • Guille B.

      You’re begging for your identity to be stolen. Never leave that kind of information on a public forum! It’s better to call the toll free number, or your local office. Good luck!

    • judy h.

      never ever put your ss number on anything like this anyone can steal your infor

      • Patrick M.

        yes i agree but for the ones who would do this i have to say this IT SUCKS TO BE HONEST!!! all you get in return is be little’d. can’t say not true. today’s world is nothing like back in the day were 90% were honest hard working today’s it’s how they can scam the system. and you out of your hard earned money.

      • R.F.

        Thank you Judy! Yes, we always remind our customers that we do not have access to personal information in this venue. Therefore, we do not do direct messaging and cannot update personal information. Please be cautious about posting personal information on social media and communicating personal information via email.

        • Richard S.

          We went to Walmart Neighborhood market in Indianapolis, IN and I bought diet Mountain Dew it was $2.50/6 pack it was raised to $3.28 plus tax.

    • Laurie B.

      Lisa,
      Please delete your personal information!! You’re leaving yourself open to identity theft among other things. Very dangerous and foolish. Call the SSA toll free number for this information.

      • LISA P.

        I DONT KNOW HOW TO detel it

    • Navy D.

      Very BAD idea to display your SSN on the internet. Have you heard of identity theft? Name, birth date,address, SSN, and phone number is an invitation for bad things to occur.

  9. George Y.

    I normally don’t see any actual money increase due to part B premium increase
    Any changes in that regard.
    Thank you

    • John

      Part B does not always go up as much as the COLA. They are figured differently. Everything depends upon inflation on the one hand and increased medical costs on the other.

  10. Christine m.

    I only recently forms out I had lost my SSI medical and financial benefits on aug.2018 when I didn’t get $ on my direct express. I was in my local ssa office in the last yr butnever told I had upcoming re eval due. I advised them how I wasn’t getting my important mail but no one was interested since I’m a chronic pain patient targeted as an opioid user , though in my 60s & need to function. Been denied since 2016. Please help me to regain my services since I’ve just started all over with my GP who treats me like a new patient after 30 yrs. I’m crippled in pain since the young started abusing opioid. I beg for your help? Please email me since my ya mail has lost me important services?

    • John

      Your message is confusing at best. What everyone needs to know though is that personal problems can not be addressed in this blog site. General information is all that is given out.

      • SHIRLEY B.

        I have lost faith in the Social Security Administration. Just recently I discouvered the reason that my benefit check is only $1017 per month after I have worked every day since 1960. I just recently learned that 15+ years of my employment record has been lost and not considered when my eligability was determined. I waited until I was 70 years old to start drawing my benefits because I wanted to get as much as I could. I was told at one time by S/S clerk that if I could prove I had worked between 1985 and 1998 then they would recalculate my benefit amount. After I collected what I could find and returned to S/S, I was told I could only show proof for the past three years. The past three years is recorded. How can I live on $1,017 per month? I am 82 years old and I am disabled due to brain surgery twice.

        • R.F.

          Hello Shirley. Ordinarily, you cannot correct your earnings after three years, three months and 15 days from the end of the taxable year in which your wages were paid. However, you can correct your record after that length of time to:
          •Confirm records with tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service;
          •Correct errors due to employee omissions from processed employer reports or missing reports;
          •Correct errors “on the face of the record” that is, errors we can find by examining our records of processed reports; and
          •Include wages reported by an employer as paid to an individual, but not shown in our records.
          Unfortunately, but for security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog. Please continue working with your local office. You can request to speak with the office manager to see how we can help find resolution to your situation.
          To make an appointment, please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213, representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week. Thanks!

      • Anna R.

        John, this person is obviously anxious and frustrated and requires a capable person to address his complaints. There are times when some need more care than others and this is a good example. Blowing him off doesn’t resolve problems for him or the many millions of others who feel the same way.

    • Linda L.

      If you have chronic pain get an attorney to represent you and then you should be able to recover your benefits from the first time you applied. This happened to me and I get SSI, medicare and in my state I also receive Medicaid, Good luck.

      • Richard S.

        When my mother was living we went to the welfare office and applied for SSI and I was approved.

Comments are closed.