Social Security Benefits to Increase in 2018
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: October 13, 2017
When we announce the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), there’s usually an increase in the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit amount people receive each month. Federal benefit rates increase when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI-W).
The CPI-W rises when prices increase, making your cost of living go up. This means prices for goods and services, on average, are a little more expensive. The COLA helps to offset these costs. As a result, more than 66 million Americans will see a 2.0 percent increase in their Social Security and SSI benefits in 2018.
Other changes that will happen in January 2018 are 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 $128,700. The earnings limit for workers younger than “full” retirement age will increase to $17,040 and the limit for people turning “full” retirement age in 2018 will increase to $45,360.
You can find more information about the 2018 COLA here.
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Tags: Cost of living adjustment, Social Security benefits
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Lawrence F.
This is great. It will just cover the 100% increase in my annual premium for Medicare Part D administered by Aetna HealthSpring Rx, where their actual profit margin on my account is about 90%.
Buggywugs
In other words, the 2% “increase” is a pathetic insult!
Ole S.
2 percent, according to my calculations, is much better than O percent!
Buggywugs
Well, according to REALITY, a measly 2 percent increase in Social Security benefits when Medicare-related premiums are increasing by 2 percent and more, is a freaking joke!
Maria
That is exactly why they gave a 2% increase. To make up for what they are increasing. That is how the government works. So, yes you most likely will stay the same but you also will not have to pay out more. People should have learned by now that you cannot totally depend on SS. That is the very reason why so many people work until they are up into their 70s. I see this every day.
Judith r.
It is a joke. I am so tired of hearing how people are lazy or didn’t work so that’s why they don’t get much ss. Wages in America are stagnant and have been for a long time. Depending on where you live, you can work 80 hours a week and not make much. My situation is that I adopted 5 special needs kids and was unable to work for some years. I am content with what I get, but I am furious at the increase in Medicare premiums.
Barbara A.
In many other countries where would we be ?
Really we could do better but it could be so much worse. But now we better get going and make sure our children do not make the same mistake we did.
Yes we made an error in judgement and did not plan well enough. Now quit complaining an help your fellow man or woman. It will make you feel so free.
Robert C.
You know, all older people here, which we are talking about, social security people, how many? Don’t know but the fact is we the people getting ss, and ssi, and SSDI. Have all worked and pay in. We have been there, now it’s the new age for us as old people, you know what I am talking about so we will be treated with the up most respect and also the vets. We are large groups of people here, all colors and sizes,ages,areas. We should be takes care of in all areas. Why are wheel chairs and equipment we need are so high? That’s robbery in your face. Now we all payed in all those years for this help at the end stage of our lives, we take care of people all over the world in some shape or form. To make American great again we have to take of us too. Thank you, Bob b.
Buggywugs
Exactly!
Michael M.
Mr.Robert C.Clayton,
Bellow Mr.Robert. I’m Mr.Michael Mayeur & what you sat is so true I was AWARDED DISABILITY in the year (.2005 ) Right before. KATRINA. I KNEW THEN I WAS ( BLESSED). Check The New REFORMER MEDICARE-PART # D / IT STARTS Now. CALL THEM. — THEN PASS THE WORD. ( HUMANA & MYEDICARE )
GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND THEY SAVED ME MONEY.
Kimberly S.
A increase??? Tell me about it!?? In 2017 the “INCREASE” TOOK $2.00 from my monthly pay!!! HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO KEEP LIVING WHEN YOU KEEP TAKING MORE AND MORE FROM MY CHECK???? An increase, that just means I have to re-adjust what I eat….AGAIN so I can pay my bills. Am I eligible for Medicaid????
Lori G.
If you are 65 or older or on Medicare due to disability you can call your local SHIP to get them to look at programs you may be eligible for. Look up the number for your local Area Agency on Aging and they will be able to connect you to SHIP.
Barbara A.
I get by with meals on wheels. It leaves a lot to be desired. But it is one meal a day. I cannot drive anymore, so it is hard to get to the store. I use The RIDE they are the absolute best you just have to call 5 days in advance for an appointment.
There are places that lend walkers and wheelchairs for free see if there is one in your area.
Jamal
Can we put our big black dick in your butthole!!! Big daddy or would it be a denial:
Richard M.
Thank you for sharing the good news. Far too many of our seniors are living in near poverty while millions of
illegals are benefiting from as a result of fraud.
Buggywugs
You ARE kidding, right??!! Lazy is one thing “undocumented citizens” are not. To the extent they are living in this country “illegally,” make no mistake, they are working their tails off at 25-cents-on-the-dollar wages.
If you want to BLAME people, blame the so-called “job creators,” who sent millions and millions of (formerly) great-paying, American jobs overseas — often at taxpayer expense (to add insult to injury), because they (the “job creators”) actually received humongous tax breaks for the “costs” of shipping our jobs overseas.
And guess who have been picking up the slack by paying higher percentages in taxes all these years?? That would be folks like you and me (i.e. the average Joe and Jane Blow)!
Blanca E.
I agree with you.
Jenny w.
Preach it brother!! Couldn’t have sad it better, these people are so moronic , ignorant!
Judith r.
Undocumented do not get benefits. Social security for retired people is not an entitlement, we paid for it with every paycheck. Don’t blame the poor or undocumented workers who actually pay taxes but get no benefits.. blame republicans who don’t care about anything but greed..
Lesly F.
POVERTY IS NOT A CRIME ISN’T A PUNISHMENT IS A LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME I AM A SURVIVOR FROM DEPRESSION, DIABETES.HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND STRESS FROM MY PASSE IN THIS COUNTRY .
GENE B.
Well bless your heart!!!!
I am 86 yr old veteran, been fighting for 60 some years for help with my hearing,…i was asked by my daughter, what I wanted and i did not reply, because all what I really need,want is a better hearing aid…AND I will get them from the VA if I live long enough…
THE MESSAGE I BRING:
NEVER GIVE UP
KEEP LOOKING AND SEARCHING FOR MORE INCOME…
SANTIAGO L.
Keep it up my friend, I finally got my hearing aid from the VA after 23 years. Ask your daughter to help you in filing claims to the VA. Now is a good time when VA has more funding for us. Good luck.
Hoku
Aloha,
VA is a hugh department. Make sure that you apply to the right department. Although the VA website indicates to apply to a department it might not transfer your paperwork to the correct department. I am a retired VA clerk. I worked for a University system in Hawaii. My student workers were alll VA veterans that needed help getting their benefits. Most of your VA staff really do not know each other or where the correct department is. You need to really talk to VA person at the department.and ask questions. I am fortunate to live in Hawaii. I was also fortunate to meet face to face with the VA staff before I retired. I know most of the people that live on mainland, the VA department is located quite a distance from where they live.
Hoku
Aloha Gene, Do you have all your documents. If you do not have anything DD214, is your hearing service related or not? You need to have paperwork to indicate something. If VA department does not have anything on file they have to start from the bottom and work up to see what they can do for you. This is for all now and future. Submit your DD214 to your nearest VA Department for them to be on file. Your military records will not follow you after you get out. You NEED to submit it to you nearest VA department. If you move make sure that you notify your VA to transfer your paperwork to your location. Current VA Veterans get a digital copy of their file unless the military stop giving it to them after discharge
STANLEY C.
Is there any earnings limit for someone who retired at age 68 in 2016?
R.F.
Great question Stanley, if you were born January 2, 1943, through January 1, 1955, then your full retirement age for retirement insurance benefits is 66. If you work and are full retirement age or older, the amount you make at work will not affect your Social Security benefits, no matter how much you earn. Please read our publication “How Work Affects Your Benefits” for more information.
Maria
It wont affect your SS BUT it will affect your taxes because you will have to pay on your Social Security, even though we already paid on that income all throughout our lives. I still work and get SS and it is very hard for me every year because I have to pay taxes to the government on top of all the taxes that I already pay because of my job and ALSO still pay SS deductions and medicare. Even t hough I do not even collect medicare since I still have insurance by my employer. The government is taking all it can from people that really cannot afford to scrape up any more money. I am doing without because of this while all of these high income people and millionaires are raking in more and more and more money. I would like to ask where this is fair?
R.F.
Hi Maria. Everyone working in covered employment or self-employment regardless of age or eligibility for benefits must pay Social Security taxes.
Also, some people have to pay federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits. This usually happens only if you have other substantial income (such as wages, self-employment, interest, dividends and other taxable income that must be reported on your tax return) in addition to your benefits.
Neal M.
I am scheduled to start receiving my Social Security benefits effective in November. Will I receive a COLA effective with my January 2018 Deposit?
Ja
you should.
R.F.
The 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to Social Security beneficiaries in January 2018. To read more, please visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
Chris h.
Ok hello is there a limit of earnings for retired at 68 in 2017
Mildred B.
I am so very glad about the 2% increase, but someone needs to look at the elimination of the ceiling for the amount annual earnings from other sources. Like a job that must have because social security just does not cut it. Taxes have already been paid on the money why not leave it alone. I am a widow and cannot make ends meet with just social security.
Buggywugs
AMEN!
Debra
Also, we are paying into ssa by having that job. It is in their best interest that we continue to work!
Buggywugs
Very true.
Clara H.
Amen!
Esmeralda C.
Exactly.
vjones
I agree! there should not be a cap on earnings. Capital Gains and dividends also need a larger tax and put towards Social Security benefits. Have you ever heard the saying from a Well To Do person “We never touch the Principal, just the interest”.
Delilah
I agree, most of us had to pay on 100% of what we made. However I do believe at some point the employer portion should stop.
Bernadette M.
Interested
Suzette P.
I have relapsing/ remitting multiple scerosis and only get a little bit of money ($776.00) a month and of course I would like more, but how much total, please??????
I am Suzette P
ron
$776.00 x 2.0= 15.20, they round it off to next dollar. $16.
Buggywugs
Pathetic, isn’t it??!! It’s a darned shame that people who are truly disabled and unable to work, or who are “elderly” (65 and older) after putting in a lifetime of work, are forced to subsist on anything less than what SHOULD BE our current federal minimum wage — $15 per hour. Everyone should receive a guaranteed annual income of at least $31,200 or $2,600 per month!
Tom
If you elect them to Congress, then you reap what you sow. Congress determines the formula including the benchmarks used to determine inflation. The GOP especially has been hot to trot for years to make the formula less generous. If you don’t vote, shame on you. Stop being part of the problem by incessant complaining and become part of the solution. Get real news and real information. The people you elect would love to have your anger directed to an agency that has no control over the formula. It is up to you to become informed and know better. Are you up to that? Posting on this page is a waste of time.
Buggywugs
HEY! I am a progressive (former Democrat) and I NEVER miss an election! I vote for the individual and couldn’t give a hoot about the party! (I WOULD HAVE voted for Bernie Sanders for POTUS, by the way.)
I am well aware that Congress is ultimately to blame for “sticking it” to the 97 percent, especially since the Reagan years. I choose to vent my frustrations by “posting on this page” as well as on the social media pages of elected officials and on various media sites — and that’s for starters. I’m beyond ready to participate in a march on Washington, and more.
Bishop
Well stated. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t our SS payments determined by the jobs/careers we held prior to receiving SS or retiring? Therefore, again as you stated, be informed and part of the solution. When I retire, I will receive around 1300 depending on when I retire, and that was based on my job. So I say, shoot for the stars and earn as high of an income as possible. We can’t all just get a set amount of SS. That would be mean, if one person busted their rear all their life trying to excel and the other person did not, it would not be just for both to receive the same amount.
Carol
Nov6,2018, we can make a diff, ?and ✍️ till then.
Peggy
So true. Everybody should get out and vote. In Texas, so far as voting we only have two Repugs. I don’t vote for them when I vote. I have called them and written to them and they haven’t done anything for us in Texas.
AY
Sorry, but the more we can enlighten ANYONE, the more we should. Yes, it’s based on your “career.” Unfortunately, there is REAL discrimination that limits and reduces the amount of income a female can earn. And, while we’re still trying to become “equal,” we’re still failing. Social Security is not based on an “equal” basis. If you’ve worked all of your life at 1/3 or less, than a male, then you receive less to live on as a Senior. This person has every right to make her POV known. Please change your mind about your limitations. They just add to the problem.
Lauren I.
I did shoot for the stars! I should have full pay I acquired it! But a person at the social security office decided to make more than half my jobs disappear! I did not receive the back pay I was supposed to! I get nothing every month due to her being able to choose to! She also blackballed me in Sacramento payment center because I took my case all the way to a congressional matter and my info disappeared! If you do not keep every check stub you are out of luck! I can’t live on 300 a month! It’s Pathetic! I started working right away as a child! Door to door selling avocados and fruit! Then babysitting for the neighborhood at 11! Right into a SS Paying job since I became fully disable! Most all my jobs had vanished from my record! Pathetic that a jealous stranger can do something like this!
Michael J.
Outstanding Tom.
Sharon
And under Obama a democrat, we had 6 times when we received NOTHING in COLA. But we could afford to pay the welfare rats and illegals who come here hop on welfare and Obama says ” I’m expanding welfare to make it easier for more to feed at government’s tit”!
Liz
I did not elect these people
Eddie G.
The people complaining are the ones on SSI,meaning they didn’t work!!!!
lorraine
My daughter worked until we moved in 2005 and then no one could find her a job so she was put on SSDI. She lived in Durham, NC and now resides in Ocala, FL but will be moving back to Durham, NC in an apartment as soon as our house is sold.
Buggywugs
Well, aren’t YOU full of yourself! You don’t really know what circumstances may have led up to a citizen needing to rely on SSI payments as a means of survival, now do you??!!
Terry M.
What a stupid statement! These people including my son did work not fault of their own. Get smart!
AJR
My mother worked and retired at 65. Stockmarket trashed right after she retired. Her employer did not offer pensions. $1100/mo is difficult to maintain a life on. Get a clue on what reality is.
Christina
That’s not accurate. I began on SSI as I was only 59 when I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease from unknown causes. SS website states you automatically get approved if you’ve got a life-ending condition, Liver Disease one of them. Even with my Specialists’ Reports I was denied for 2.5 years till I hired an Attorney Firm. While I was waiting out those 2.5 years, the multiple surgeries I had & living expenses ate up all my savings, 3 small retirement accounts and I was behind when I finally was approved. I lost everything during the wait, had to move in with my daughter. I had worked 44 years and half of that time making 6 digits as a Software Engineer. I also raised 5, now adult children. You’d think I’d get more than $1000/month. The last 5 years before my liver failed, I quit 1 very stressful programming job, but kept my job with the church. It only paid $20k, compared to the $100+k I was earning, but I was also being recruited by 2 other firms. When I immediately got sick, I first ended up in ICU fighting for my life. SS stated they count the last 5 years of income, Id accepted another big assignment but wasn’t able to start. With SS putting more emphasis on my last 5 years, 3 of those were at the lower income. It cost me a lot of money. Then when they had to retro my pay back to date of my original paperwork, what should have been a large payout covering 2.5 years, many areas were denied as they said my family paid my expenses as I was living with them. That was so not true, but I already had to deduct pay for attorneys to get my SS, if I’d retained them to recover my back pay, it would have been a wash or I could have ended up with more attorney fees than money.
So, I don’t waste tears or anger on any of that. Washington doesn’t know the first thing about balancing a budget & since Obama pilfered so much from SS it’s a disaster. What it isn’t is a Government Entitlement Program! The multi levels of corruption in Washington won’t get fixed by anger. One must be savvy and start voting smarter! I’ve never been interested in the titles of Republican or Dem. I vote for the best candidates whenever possible. Don’t be naive believing that parts of both parties in Congress & Senate have sold out the American People. Like him or hate him, at least Trump is trying to work for the People, but he’s sorely out numbered!
That’s my 2 cents on SS and these minuscule cost of living increases. We All know they don’t begin to compare to actual cost of living. Espe6here in California. I’m too close to transplant time to even consider moving out of state to somewhere less expensive. My 2 health issues requires a Team of Specialists & monthly labs by all, plus the transplant team at UCLA. As, a Christian I choose living as positive as I can. The rest is out of my control. It’s all about attitude and which spin you put on it. I’ve learned to want & need less. Having also a background in Global Finance, you’d be shocked with what I budget for survival. Housing here in CA is outrageous, that’s my biggest task to accomplish. Still praying ? and allowing God to assist what I can’t do myself! Good luck to all?
sandy
Or owned their own business and never put in funds to the ss accounts!
AY
Sorry Eddie. You’re just plain wrong.
bill
Idiot, just because someone is on SSI, doesn’t mean they didn’t work. Maybe their greedy employer didn’t provide a retirement option
ItsJustmeD
People stop whining already, Damn.
Free money will NEVER be big!! Just be grateful ya getting something, but if ya want more, get a
J O B!
End of story.!
Peace be with you!
Roxanne K.
I’M so glad U R so informed as to how long everyone has worked THRU OUT THEIR LIFE.
Pat
You are so wrong on this. People on SSI get as much as those who actually paid into the system by working. I worked 30 years in health care and my grandson who is 7 with no bills to pay and who qualifies for state health care gets as much as I do. I get 720 mth and my spouse is deceased. I get a little of his making it 1200 a month. I have to pay for my medicare insurance along with rent, utilities and an insane copay for my meds. My Dr copays after insurance cost me 100 a month then I also have a copay for every test. You have no idea what you are talking about saying the ones complaining are on SSI. They are actually the ones that shouldn’t have anything to complain about. BTW I don’t qualify for any type of state help like those who never paid in anything.
ann
That’s wrong. I worked 40 years and I complain because I DON’T GET ENOUGH TO LIVE ON.
Donald F.
what is SSDI?
R.F.
The Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI, is a program that pays disability benefits, to individuals that become disabled under our rules. The SSDI program pays disability benefits to individuals who have worked and paid Social Security taxes long enough to be eligible.
Old &.
I am on SS & I am WORKING! They are taking out over 30% I HAVE to work as inflation has Eaten up my SS. This Job is AT the poverty level for this State & county..
What you need to do is listen to is this!
The super Rich Are Not paying THEIR share on THEIR Income, THEIR Capital Gains, nor THEIR Inheritances!
Pass this around:
Tax the Rich of THEIR Income,
THEIR Capital Gains,
and THEIR Inheritances!
Lauren I.
You are very WRONG! You are the kind of person that is a ❄️ flake! Seriously when you have no idea what your talking about jealousy does that! It’s an Illness!
bMOORE
YOU ARE A LIAR JUST STARTED RECEIVING SSI BECAUSE OF THE LAWS IF YOU HAD A LASPE IN WORK FOR TWO YEARS YOU ARE PLACED ON SSI. I WORKED FOR OVER THIRTY PLUS YEARS AND OUT OF WORK DUE TO MY DEGENERATIVE BONE DISEASE UNABLE TO WORK APPLIED FOR DISABILITY LAST YEAR IN JUNE APPROVED IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW FACTS KEEP QUIET. SAD HOW OTHERS JUDGE PEOPLE AND DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. I BUST MY BUTT WORKING.
susan
People like you piss me off I am one of those so called woman who worked but could notwork do to a severe mental illnesses do to the fact that I was badly abused as a child. Now you may say well you were a child now you are an adult and yes you are right. However unless you have ever experienced PTSD and DID and Borderline Personality Disorder you have no freaking idea what I and others go through. When you are a child you learn things like walking, talking, eating, hugs, and love. When I was a small child I learned what burns were on my fingers, beatings daily and things you probably can’t even imagine. Here is the reality those emotions , fears, smells, tones of voices, types of faces, crying sounds, are things that shake me to my core and it happens in a snap of a second, I have no control I learned it just like I learned to walk, eat and cry. People think it is all in the head not real, well those people have no idea the embarrassment, shame that goes with all of it. If you think living on 700.00 a month is a free ride you are sadly mistaken because it is more stressful then you can imagine. I complain about SSI and I have the right to because those social workers, doctors, and teachers that knew about my abuse did nothing to stop it. I could have been something a doctor, teacher, nurse or lawyer instead I was sentenced to prison in my mind living on 700.00 a month. So my suggestion to you is this until you know someones story don’t assume you do.
Sharon
Exactly! So many appear healthy enough to spread their legs, or paint houses, go to gambling casinos but just can’t find the strength to go to work.
Frank
That my dear is socialism. You should have saved for retirement 40 years ago…
Buggywugs
All right! GIVE ME “SOCIALISM,” THEN!
I worked my tail off for over 40 years and often held TWO FULL-TIME jobs at a time!!! I’m sick to death of having the bulk of my tax dollars earmarked for more “toys” for the military-industrial complex and am ESPECIALLY pissed about having one cent of my hard-earned money going toward yet another tax break for WEALTHY “job creators,” who long ago shipped millions of good-paying American jobs overseas, and NOW continue to hoard the proceeds from their ill-gotten profits in foreign bank accounts!
Esmeralda C.
Totally AGREE,!
Peggy
I agree.
AY
Hi Buggywugs,
You’re amongst the majority. So, rave on. Someday, these limited minds will understand what is true for the majority. More than likely, that is his/her background. He/she didn’t work, but most of us have worked hard all of our lives. That’s a fact.
Donald F.
Being ex-military I know the ememie’s and support the US Military. It is obvious you never served our country. Which is a slap in the face!
Linda
I Agree!
Camille
me too
Roxanne K.
I agree
Karen
If only someone to listen to us, alins get more then us!
Thomas
This is very true, regular citizens have to pay for the illegals benifits this is crazy and unjust for us, if they pay into the systeem is one thing but not to pay into it screws over the ones who have worked all their lives and get shafted.
SABLEE
i just called SSA and asked the same ..If you review me>? and see that i have become worse in health ,>? How you figure what you based my SSD check on the lowest paying job i had ? Seems i should be able to take a lawyer to court to see if the increasing ”’ benefits is actually possible . Have a friend who finally has ”full” disability from VA.. That is 3000 a month..although she will not benefit from others that are available in Ohio..its more like ..the poor you are the more is available .? NO ..i wanted to go to school.i wanted to get out the scooter i am in ..and might as well just ”’exist”’ and forget about living ..cause that is all i do ..exist..and getting depressed every day . I hardly make it monthly and that is not having a smartphone or gadgets you see at pantries and wonder? How ? they can have a bill plus SSD ?
Dave
It was NEVER intended that one could “survive” on Social Security. It has always been that each of us needed to plan for our own retirement (whether that came from our own investments or one’s employer(s)’ retirement plans. The same goes for SSI. Too many “grasshoppers” in our society and not enough “ants” (reference Aesop’s Fables).
AY
When discrimination is a REALITY, and a woman makes 1/3 of what a man makes, how can most women earn enough to save ANY money? I was a Database Administrator who made $11 per hour, while the boy from the restaurant industry came in on my level making $21 per hour. How is it okay to continue this kind of discrimination within our safety-net institutions? No one will hire me as a Senior Woman. Is this okay with you too? Maybe most women should be homeless, is this your attitude? If so, you’re a pathetic human being, sorry for you.
Pat
You’re an ass. When you work , support your children and pay your bills htf are you supposed to save ?
Meakin
Why?
David
What an idiotic thing to say! WHERE in the world do you people think SS money comes from? YOU…Your Wages were TAXED for SS as you made money. If you cheated and did Cash Work, then you didn’t pay a dime in SS Tax so you don’t deserve a Dime! If you were too uneducated to make any more than minimum wage all your life then you didn’t pay squat into SS fund. If you worked you tail off, maybe 2 jobs high paying, you paid in the Maximum amount of SS Tax each year. Then when you retire you get a PERCENTAGE OF WHAT YOU PAID IN!! Why should I have paid in $200,000 of SS Tax in my life and you pay $25,000 and you think YOU should get the Same amount as me? Typical Liberal Loser….make a hard worker pay for the lazy worker. Money doesn’t grow on trees and Berney Sanders ROFLMAO!….our country would have gone bankrupt and No Body would get SS income.
Guy C.
well said…..
Granny
Spot on
Alan W.
That’s crazy. I live very comfortably, actually save money on 1875 a month. And I’m single! I hope you realize every dollar you get has to be earned and taken from a younger person.
Donald F.
Allen, I agree with you. The young are paying more in than us.
Gretchen
Not in America….Scandian maybe??
Old &.
INFLATION has EATEN our Input!
The younger worker is Not paying as much as we did because of INFLATION \1
A Hamburger used to cost 10 cents.
Now it cost more like $5 – $10
A big number does not equal A Just return on What We put in!
Marc
The 2018 COLA, started at 3.7%. it was lowered, to 2%, to protect, the guaranteed 3.2% pay raise, for all Government employees, who don’t care, if those, who receive Social Security die, as long, as they (Government), get their money.
Joy
Very true. They should only get what we get, which isn’t much. My brother said his was only $7.00 a month raise since medicare went up again. Sad that we get no raises, but the cost of living sure gets higher and higher. They don’t care about us, they just want us to die, so they won’t have to pay out anymore!
Fahmi N.
I agree. Last year’s increase was. 0.03 percent, meaning a can of coke a month increase.
Donald F.
The last 8 years we got 2% under Obama now we are getting 2% in a year. I’ll take it and not cry about it.
Len
Ssi and ssdi-monthly checks less than supposed to be.same with retirees.look up SSA pia since 1980.calculations?we’re getting a percentage of what we are supposed to be getting.pia=percentage of income annually.sad eyes.
Lauren I.
I agree 100%
I cannot make ends meet at all! It is a shame that we are subjected to someone in the SS office because more than half of my jobs have disappeared because the woman at the time Minnie v. was jealous of my retroactive pay and I would receive past pay and what I’d receive monthly made her mad! She told me in her own words yelling at me! And she stated they’ll be nothing I could do about it! she literally threatened me and said I’d get nothing if she could help it! I’ve fought this until I’m mentally and physically exhausted and drained of any strength! Sickens me!
Guy C.
If your job didn’t pay into SS because you were listed as a sub contractor..that’s on you,,,
Smp
You should have immediately turned that woman in to the Mgr. and I would have also called the Attorney General’s office and reported her! Then I would have contacted a lawyer AND written an article for your local newspaper. Many local newspapers have a write in complaints column. Don’t use the woman’s name in paper, just say one of their “employees”! Even local tv channels may have stories that they investigate to bring attention to the public.
pat
Why didn’t U report that woman??
Dana
This is a very good idea. Unfortunately, as we know it will never happen. For one of the richest nations our social security does not meet the basic needs of life.
Joy
Very true, sad!
Elizabeth
You are absolutely right I am very angry and if you dont mind would like to publish your comment on myfacebook page. thank you
Trudy G.
Maybe a healthy retire should of invested and saved more wisely for retirement?
Angie
yes, you will receive around $16.00 more a month, but the cost of Medicare will increase also, as it does every year. So, you will actually get less, sad isn’t it? I pay over $104. a month for part B and only get $680.00 in my account!! that is sad, my friends.
Maureen
What gets me is that every time I see a doctor and the bill they submit to Medicare (and for me, the supplement is Tricare, so same contract), they doctor, hospital, and everyone involved is actually paid 20%–and have to like it. How can this go on? Docs are already beginning to refuse Medicare patients.
Flyazz
I concur.
John
You’ll get an amount that you worked and earned and, if you were low income you’ll be getting much less than someone earning about $65,000 a year. Put yourself in their place and you would feel the same way.
Maria
If you have not worked to receive a high enough salary to get what you are asking, then you simply are not entitled to it because you did not pay in enough into the system. You really don’t get it do you? This is not a welfare system. It is based on what a person earns and how much they pay into SS until they are able to collect. Why should someone that pays in very little get the same amount than someone that works longer and has a higher income and pays in much much more than for example YOU did. This makes absolutely no sense. I do not understand where your thinking comes from. Welfare is an entitlement, SS is NOT. People worked for what they get in SS, it should not be given to anybody just because they think so.
Mr. M.
Yes it’s pathetic. Note that with the 2% increase (wiped out by the 23% Medicare increase) we will have to pay higher income tax against the higher gross. Couple this with double taxation and it becomes simply the government paying itself through you account. Right now if you are at the poverty level making more than 44K, 85% of the benefit is subject to income tax. You watch, next they will increase it to 100% taxable.
mary c.
I agree 100%
C. R.
I don’t know why in the world the minimum wage should be $15 for all workers in US. That’s high.
Barbara L.
Actually that sounds really fair, reasonable, sensible, and good for the economy.
I am over 65, and something I CAN do IS SHOP. (Like tools that help me fix up things around the house). I’ve calculated that I receive $16.00/hr from the Social Security Income. That calculates to 1/3 (one third) of my military income. I retired as a Staff Sergeant in the Army. I don’t think it’s fair and there are those; veterans, the homeless, the grandparents who are having have to take care of their orphan grandchildren, and there are so many more situations like these or worst, people who receive
$15/hr Social Security.
Eddie G.
Alot of comments on here about needing more,you should have worked in your life and not relied on the government.
southernohiolady
I worked from the time I was 18 until 55. I had to stopped because I ended up with COPD and a few other things. I worked 2 placed and retirement was not what I accepted. Now with Trump dropping the help we get from state on meds, and doc’s, I will not be able to get most of my meds and my machine that supplies my oxygen. We loose either way.
Buggywugs
Amen!
SABLEE
oh no ..you will not lose nothing..He is all talk..NO one is taking medicaid away..I have all that too for my COPD plus scooter and oxygen too .lost all family too in 6 weeks so doing all this alone can be nightmarish.. but i am stronger for it. Why Eddie Goodman does not know all stories here are not because we COULD NOT work ..we fell into an unhealthy situation out of our control.. SAD most with no face lack the most knowledge..sorry to pick on you ..but you have no idea…NONE..what it means to never leaving your home for over 6 years..but to go to store cause i have no help and no family ..Government does not take care of me. I take care of me and i am blessed at what OHIO has available to help …period . If the government was taking care of me..I would be out there golfing on YOUR TAX MONEY ..everyday..
Karen
A lot of us have worked all our lives till we were not able anymore!
Buggywugs
ABSOLUTELY, we did! We EARNED EVERY PENNY of our so-called, “entitlements!”
SABLEE
Worked since i was 15 and never recd ssd till 2001 so you dont know what people go thru..Please do not set in judgement..This is nothing ..they will take it way next year when the food stamps get reviewed, medicare, medicaid.. You just need to pray you never have to walk in our shoes instead of thinking you do ..YOU could not adapt to my world ..and i would not wish it on you either .
Angie
I only wish I got food stamps, I get nothing from the state!! ZIP, NIL, NONE….I worked from the time I was 12 yrs. old until I was 45 years old…people who never worked or worked very little, get more than me!!! go figure, to bad I did not see that when I was younger, I would have just sat on my ass too!!!
Sandy
BS And it’s spelled aliens, which are not people. We are referring to people here. You go on back to your alins, whatever those are.
SABLEE
are you ok there Sandy.? Do you feel better now ?
Jim D.
Don’t know where you got the idea that aliens are not people, so here is the definition.:
Definition of alien
1 a :belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing :strange an alien environment
b :relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government :foreign alien residents
c :exotic 1 alien plants
Donald F.
I’m thrilled I’m an American. I take pride in the fact I have Medicare and my $1475,00 SSI. I feel confident my payments and earned benefits will continue. I wish I had more to give to the less fortunate!
jenny w.
You go girl, tell it like it is , so many people these days are so ignorant!
jenny w.
THE REAL ALIENS ON THIS CONTINENT ARE THE EUROPEANS! NOT THE INDIGENOUS MEXICANS THAT MAINLY COME HERE, THEY’RE INDIGENOUS TO THIS CONTINENT/ AMERICAS, THEY BELONG HERE!
Jenny w.
Sandy, these ignorant people suffer from Xenophobia pay them no mind! The only illegal aliens are Europeans/ whites in this continent! And the only people taking advantage of government assistance are white trash, poor blacks and Mexican Americans! Mexicans etc.. have been run of from their land thanks to racist trump, and are no longer coming here because they are being persecuted and fear for their safety!
Kristina
Sir to say that someone that has to be put on SSD should have worked in their life and not relied on the government is totally insulting. Most of us have worked all our lives and can not help what our health has handed to us. I have worked and worked so much in my 44 years of age that my body has given out due to multiple health issues that are way beyond my control. So as I sit here fighting for my SSD, I am not relying on the government because I want to, it is something I have to do. So get a clue before you make derogatory statements like the one you made here. I am not lazy nor have I ever been but unfortunately things happen and we have to give in to reality, the reality that when we can not do it anymore we have to give up our pride and say yeah I need help so that I can be around for my loved ones.
Pat
I hope you are able to get your SSD before it’s to late. My husband returned to work,he had to after being told he was refused and would have to appeal it after he had a disabling stroke. He died at work. My cousin the same thing. My husband was 50 my cousin 52. To bad we can’t sue their asses for contributing to their deaths. My husband died of an aortic aneurysm and my cousin died of a heart attack after being diagnosed with CHF
Dana
well said.
Old &.
Learn how to vote!
It takes more then pulling for the party lever!
THINK next time!
Lauren I.
I did work since I was 11!!! You have zero rights to say anything you know nothing about! I worked my whole life until I became disabled! Someone in the SS office that I gave all my money to while I worked stole from me! I believe several others! You keep your evil negativity to yourself! We all have a right to benefits we live in this country! USA citizen!
doc
They are not entitlements or benefits, we paid into that with our employers money and our own. It’s American workers money period!
$$$$$$$$$$
John
That’s right.
Maureen
Funny how that works out. I worked from the time I was old enough to babysit, worked at many jobs that contributed to SS, eventually got two Bachelors and one Master’s Degree, worked for nearly 25 years as a teacher, and my SS payment is less than $1,000! Happily, because I ended with a salary in the 70k for three years before retirement, my state also pays a pension and matched my 401k investments. We have to be thinking way ahead and not rely on SS to live on in retirement. With all of that, my income is still under $3,000/year. (That’s the security I traded for someone else getting to raise my children for many of those years.) And I’m one of the lucky ones!
John
$15.00 and not $16.00.
Barbara A.
My last check should have been$795.?? but was less with no reason why ?
AKA
Sounds like something you should ask them, call 800-7721213.
Smp
But don’t call them today! I just tried an hour ago and was told “your wait time is ONE HOUR”! Did anyone else NOT receive a 2% raise this January?
Jamie
2 percent is not multiplied like x 2.0….you have to move the decimal…over to the left twice. so it is x .02 whatever you are getting…
AKA
It’s rounded down not up.
WhySah
How she add this?
Brenda
Ron, that’s incorrect.
You multiply by .02. If it is a 2 percent increase. Not 2.0. Thus you multiply 775.00 X .02. Thanks.
vjones
Social Security rounds down not up. $791.52 = $791.00
R.F.
Please visit Rounding of Benefit Rates.
Enzo
Incorrect: 775 plus 2% =
15.50.
775 + 15.50 = 790.50
rounds down = $790.00 total.
steven s.
good luck, for better days
Ver
They will take your total ss payment before deducting what medicare takes out of your check and times that by 2 percent…
Davis844
You should check your math?
Bobbo
they round down not up…
Bobbo
unfortunately, when rounding they round down not up…..
Donchie
And let us not forget they tax us on that money.
Terry
They rounded my increases EVERY TIME down..last time it was a loss of $.80, the next time $.40. I’d like to have that extra money each month.
Irving
$15.52 per month increase.
SABLEE
That is taken away soon as all the reviews come in to update food card, medicare, DPL .Everyone always thinks their taxes pay for the disabled and SSI folks..TRUMPSTER is using your taxes to do ohhhhh so much more.. AND you really need to worry about the future .With all the drugs available,, and folks smoking whatever ..don’t leave you much hope on how and who will do the jobs already out there …stoned ? Cannot get SSD for alcohol addiction so why i ride a bus. \0/
Jamie
everyone is doing their math wrong!!! 2% is not x 2.0…. you move the decimal over 2 places to the left…. so it is x .02 so it is barely anything.
WhySah
You become math teacher and tell them.
Denny L.
A 2% increase would amount to $15.52 per month.
Scooter
And my grandaughter who has never worked a day in her like but gets welfare and foodstamps will spend 5 times that raise on a pack of cigarettes.
Scooter
Make that a carton.
John
She must have babies from different men to be getting all those benefits.
AKA
You must be so proud!
L.MORGAN
SCOOTER YOU ARE CRAZY!!! I’M ROLLING LAUGHING……
WhySah
Why she smoke then? She need go to work for herself.
Maria
So, you are proud of your granddaughter? You should be ashamed of her. That is part of the problem why SS is so lean and might be getting leaner. And it is people that have paid into it all of their lives are the ones suffering. People on SSI have not paid into it that much, so they cannot expect to receive what others will get when they finally retired at the age of 66 or even 70. People are so ridiculous.
Car
However, the 2% increase will most likely be applied to the $134 mediocre premium that was increased in 2017…The Majority of Social Security recipients, that use direct deposit saw an increase to $109 for their Medicare Part B Premium in 2017…In 2018 any increase up to $25 will be applied to the Part B Premium…it will not go to the recipient….
Old &.
Oh so true! They are playing you for a sucker if you think it even keeps up with Inflation let alone the Health Care Cost for Trump-Care!!
June
OK, so they give us 2.0% raise. Thats good. BUT, how much are they going to increase medicare? One year I got an increase in SS and Medicare increased so I ended up with no increase at all. Doesn’t seem fair.
Dave
Good catch. I was looking around on the site for information regarding the Medicare premiums for 2018 but didn’t find any information. They’re saving that for later, I guess.
R.F.
Hi June. Information about Medicare changes for 2018, when announced, will be available at http://www.medicare.gov.
Car
The majority of Social Security recipients will see a 0% increase to their bottom line…any increase up to $25 will go to the Medicare Part B Premium, which was increased to $134 in 2017…If you use direct deposit your premium for 2017 was increased from $104 to $109 which was the 0.03% COLA increase (read the Hold Harmless Clause definition for Social Security recipients that use direct deposit)…so most recipients will receive 0% …It is like creative accounting for the government…move the money from one program into another…I also do not understand the 2%, since the COLA has been estimated to be 2.2%?
Delilah
If you are paying the 109..it may or may not go up. For those of us already paying 134 it is suppose to stay the same.
D.H. F.
The article notes SSI, but not SSDI, a separate program. SSI is Supplemental Security Income, SSDI is Social Security Disability.
Jamie
everyone is doing their math wrong!!! 2% is not x 2.0…. you move the decimal over 2 places to the left…. so it is x .02 so it is barely anything.
jose
the same question.
Carol
But I have heard that Medicare will be raised and take almost all of the COLA that we will receive. True???
Nellie B.
you are right that is exactly what happened. It took it all