Social Security recipients just got their biggest pay bump since 2011
The average Social Security recipient will receive a roughly $25 boost in their monthly check in 2018, per a modest increase announced by the Social Security Administration on Friday. This change will affect over 66 million Americans who rely on monthly Social Security payments.
The overall 2 percent increase in Social Security is the largest increase since 2011, when the benefit was bumped 3.6 percent, but it still falls below the percentage predicted by officials earlier this summer.
In 1975, Congress enacted legislation mandating a yearly adjustment of Social Security based on a cost of living analysis. Sometimes that adjustment, known as COLA, is close to zero. Over the last eight years, the cost of living adjustment has averaged 1 percent.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
COLA is based on Consumer Price Index changes for things like rent, clothes, food, and medical costs. Overall, consumer prices increased slightly this year, but Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused gasoline prices to sharply increase after wreaking havoc on the Gulf region, said Max Gulker, senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, in an interview with ABC News.
Social Security affects a large portion of Americans. Payments are made to senior citizens over 65, the disabled, and orphans. Some advocates for senior citizens argue that this year's 2 percent increase does not match rising medical costs for most seniors.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Elianna Spitzer is a rising junior at Brandeis University, majoring in Politics and American Studies. She is also a news editor and writer at The Brandeis Hoot. When she is not covering campus news, Elianna can be found arguing legal cases with her mock trial team.q
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published