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Social Security Column
Social Security Benefits to Increase in 2019
By Erin Thompson, Social
Security Public Affairs Specialist in Toledo, OH
Guest Column
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.
January 2019 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,
as well as the retirement earnings test exempt amount, will
change in 2019. Want to know your new benefit amount as
soon as possible? In December 2018, we will post Social
Security COLA notices online for retirement, survivors, and
disability beneficiaries who have a my Social Security
account. You will be able to view and save these COLA
notices securely via the Message Center inside my Social
Security.
Be the first to know! Sign up for or log in to your personal
my Social Security account today at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. 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 access your COLA notice online, you
will still receive 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.
More information about the 2019 COLA is available at
www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
You can also read our publication about the annual
cost-of-living adjustment at
www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10526.pdf.
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