COLA

Social Security Benefits Increase in 2019

January 3, 2019 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: November 3, 2023

" "Each year we announce the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Usually, there is an increase in the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit amount people receive each month, starting the following January. Law requires that federal benefit rates increase when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

The CPI-W rises when prices increase for the things the average consumer buys. This means that when prices for goods and services we purchase become more expensive, on average, the COLA increases benefits and helps beneficiaries keep up with the changing cost of living.

More than 67 million Americans will see a 2.8 percent increase in their Social Security and SSI benefits in 2019.

This month marks other changes based on the increase in the national average wage index. For example, the maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll tax will increase to $132,900 in 2019. The retirement earnings test exempt amount will also increase.

Want to know your new benefit amount? In December 2018, we posted Social Security COLA notices online for retirement, survivors, and disability beneficiaries who have a my Social Security account. You can view and save these COLA notices securely via the Message Center inside my Social Security.

Next year, be the first to know! Sign up for or log in to your personal my Social Security account. Choose email or text under “Message Center Preferences” to receive courtesy notifications so you won’t miss your electronic COLA notice!

This year, even if you accessed your COLA notice online, you still received your COLA notice by mail. In the future, you will be able to choose whether you receive your 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.

Check our website for more information about the 2019 COLA. You can also read our publication Cost-of-Living Adjustment.

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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. Adolf F.

    In 2020 instead of a cola stop taxing our social security again.

  2. Yaneth h.

    I really want to seed thank for all the help you give to my daughters and myself god blessed one of you.

  3. david

    You forgot to mention Medicare insurance also increased.

    • Ray F.

      Hello David. Information about Medicare changes for 2019, can be found at http://www.medicare.gov.

  4. Diane

    Why are we not going to be paid the full 2.8% increase? In prior years, at least the full amount was listed in your notification letter even though the “cents” were never paid to us. Where do those extra dollars go of our money each year? They’re certainly not on my bank account.

  5. Dorassoc

    Ray – Tell us all again – for the thousandth time why some people did not get any net increase in take-home Social Security benefits. We obviously prefer to complain rather than read your explanation.

  6. MARGARET M.

    you took my cola to pay more on medicare so you gave me nothing so stop saying you gave me a increase .your cola is as useless as a wall !!

    • Ray F.

      When there is an increase in the Medicare Part B premium, a statutory “hold harmless” provision protects approximately 70 percent of Medicare Part B enrollees from paying a higher Part B premium to avoid reducing their net Social Security benefit. Enrollees not protected include higher income individuals subject to an income-adjusted Part B premium and beneficiaries newly entitled to Part B in 2019. Additionally, enrollees who have their Medicare Part B premiums paid by state Medicaid agencies will see no change in their Social Security benefit. The state will pay any Medicare Part B premium increase.

  7. ELGIE O.

    THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP REPUBLICAN BILLIONAIRE ELECTED WHITE HOUSE OWNER 1,000 YEARS 2001 3001 CODE DO YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO LAST THAT LONG YES I AM GOING TO GET MY WHITE HOUSE GOVERNMENT AT LEAST 1,000 YEARS MY WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE LADY SPEAKER SAID OK AND I WAS JUST AT MY WHITE HOUSE AND ON THE LAWN AND SEEN THAT WE GOT THE 1,000 YEARS ON THE SCREEN WAITING FOR GREYHOUND THIS IS VERY GOOD FIRST BILLIONAIRE GOVERNMENT ON EARTH WHITE HOUSE FEDERAL PRESIDENT TRUMP BILLIONAIRE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR MANSION JOHN CORZINE BILLIONAIRE NEW JERSEY $RICHEST STATE & CITY OF NEW YORK GRACIE MANSION MAYOR BLOOMBERG BILLIONAIRE REPUBLICAN/INDEPENDENT #1 IN THE WORLD IN IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOREVER MY NATION IS A REPUBLIC ATHENS THE FIRST GOVERNMENT IN THE WORLD IS A DEMOCRACY ELECTED YEAR 2100 82 YEARS FROM NOW HE LIVES FOREVER=MYSELF WHITE DWARF EPISCOPAL JESUS PAY YOUR TAXES RICHEST MOST EXPENSIVE 3RD LARGEST NATION ON EARTH MY UNITED STATES ALUMNI ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT SAID MICROSOFT IS A LEGAL CORPORATION BILL GATES FORBES RICHEST PERSON 30 PLUS YEARS HAS MY Y-DNA $RICHEST EVER PERSON GOD DID NOT MAKE THE LIST CODE NO COMMUNICATION 100% CLEAN IM RUSSIAN EURASIAN,CAUCASIAN 100% PURE ORIGINAL WHITE RACE US. CENSUS RICHEST FAMILY YEAR 2000 NEXT LIST YEAR 3000 WE HAVE THE RECORD FOR 1,000 YEARS ALWAYS IN THE GREEN I HAVE A $QUADRILLION $1,000 TRILLIONS ON RECORD FOR JUST MY SELF IN MY BOSTON FEDERAL BUILDING 100% ACCEPTED NO LEGAL GUARDIAN THANK YOU IM HAPPY FOR THE RAISE THE NEXT GREATEST GENERATION$

    • gary o.

      ?

    • Marcie

      @Elger Oliver Cheney… 3 words in told me there was no point to this thesaurus-in-a- blender but I gave it the benefit of the doubt in case it might just be s language barrier. 2 more lines (there were no actual sentences) cleared that up. At that point I just kept going for the entertainment value, which was considerable, by the way. At the very end my efforts were rewarded by that last little nugget of information, “ACCEPTED NO LEGAL GUARDIAN.” Yep, that one’s off his/her meds. Maybe you should take that act on the road, or in your case, get the staff to allow you to tape your YouTube videos in the padded room. Great acoustics, clean background. Might even get a bunch of subscribers. All humor aside though, hopefully your Social Security benefits are paid to you through an alternate payee who’s legally competent and can form words into sentences.

  8. Robert G.

    I will end up with a $43.50 increase, but my life insurance went up $37, so in reality my raise is only $6.50.

  9. Susan

    I should find a fence to climb I would be entitled to free food, free housing, free medical, free education etc.. A measly 2.8% and the gov. already has figured out a way to take it back. LOL

  10. Norman

    I am unable to keep up with so many different password protected accounts online even using different usernames and now requiring a new change every 60 days. Afraid I will not be able to use these systems in the future. Enjoy.

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