Thankfully, Social Security benefits are raised automatically nearly every year to help them compensate for inflation. Without those cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), recipients would practically be guaranteed to see their financial situations worsen from year to year as inflation gradually erodes the value of a dollar.

By now, all seniors on Social Security should have gotten their first checks for 2025. With the latest 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in effect, the average benefit has climbed to $1,976 per month. That's about $49 higher than the average in December 2024.

The Social Security COLA increase for 2025 is finally here, and so is your boosted benefits check. Here's when you can expect it.

Social Security benefits received a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025, but for many retirees, this is not enough to keep up with rising prices. Their monthly checks don't go as far as they used to,

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that beneficiaries will get a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025. The new adjustment will boost the average retirement check by $48 a month,

For retirees, healthcare expenses are unavoidable and increasingly unaffordable. Fidelity Research says a 65-year-old retiring in 2024 can expect to spend an average of $165,000 on healthcare and medical expenses throughout retirement — a 5% jump over the previous year and more than double 2002’s estimate.

If you receive Social Security benefits, you are getting a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) this year. This means your retirement benefits check is going to be bigger than it was before. That's the good news.