A New Bill Would Change Social Security COLAs for Retirees

Many retirees living on just Social Security have watched their monthly checks rise each year without feeling much relief at the grocery store or gas pump.

The Social Security 2100 Act, reintroduced in Congress this year, would temporarily change the formula used to calculate annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) so it better matches the way older Americans spend their money.

The increase from one year to the next may look small, though those extra dollars could add up over the course of a long retirement. Here's how the proposal could change future COLAs.

How the bill could lead to a larger annual raise

Social Security currently bases annual COLAs on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W. That measure follows the spending habits of working-age households.

The Social Security 2100 Act would keep CPI-W but add a second measure called CPI-E, which tracks the spending patterns of people age 62 and older. Each year, Social Security would compare the two and use whichever one results in the larger COLA.

Because older Americans often spend more on health care, CPI-E has historically risen about 0.2 percentage points faster per year. In years when CPI-W comes in higher, retirees would still receive that larger increase.

In other words, the proposal could raise your COLA in some years without reducing what the current formula would have provided.

What the difference could look like over 10 years

The bill's COLA provision would apply from 2027 through 2036, giving retirees a chance to receive slightly larger annual increases during that period.

For someone receiving $1,500 a month, a 0.2 percentage point difference would add about $3 to the monthly benefit in the first year. Because each COLA builds on the benefit already in place, those small gains could keep growing. By the end of the 10-year window, the monthly benefit could be about 2% higher than it would have been under CPI-W alone.

The exact result would vary from year to year. CPI-E could produce the larger increase when costs that affect older Americans rise faster, while CPI-W could come out ahead in other years. When that happens, the bill would simply use CPI-W, leaving that year's COLA unchanged.

What happens after 2036

Once the temporary change ends, future COLAs would return to the current CPI-W formula. The extra increases received during the 10-year period would not keep building into later years.

That is different from some earlier versions of the Social Security 2100 Act, which proposed a permanent switch to CPI-E. The current bill would provide a temporary boost rather than a lasting change to how benefits grow over retirement.

Why your January increase may feel smaller

Many retirees expect their January Social Security payment to rise by the same percentage as the annual COLA. In reality, the increase often looks smaller because Medicare Part B premiums are usually deducted from your monthly benefit before you receive it. If those premiums go up, they can reduce how much of your COLA ends up in your pocket.

A slightly larger COLA could help make up for some of that difference during the years this proposal is in place. While higher Medicare premiums could still reduce part of your raise, you would be more likely to keep a little more of each year's increase for your monthly expenses.

Why the COLA proposal may return in another bill

The Social Security 2100 Act has been introduced in Congress several times without reaching a floor vote, and the current version faces long odds in a closely divided Congress. Large changes to Social Security have historically needed support from both parties, which has made major reforms difficult to pass.

Still, the idea behind this COLA change is likely to return. Lawmakers have included similar proposals in other Social Security bills, so it could appear again in a future plan to improve the program.

How this change would affect your benefits

If Congress passes the Social Security 2100 Act, or another bill with the same COLA provision, you wouldn't need to do anything. Social Security would automatically calculate your annual COLA under the new formula and adjust your monthly benefit if you qualify for a larger increase.

For now, it still makes sense to plan your retirement around the current Social Security rules. If a larger COLA is approved in the future, it would simply be added to the benefit you are already receiving.

Bottom line

A small change to your annual Social Security COLA may not seem like much at first. Over 20 or 30 years of retirement, though, those slightly larger increases could add up to more income than you would receive under the current formula.

The Social Security 2100 Act is still only a proposal, though it offers one possible path toward larger annual benefit increases. If an idea like this eventually becomes law, it could give your retirement plan a little more room to grow.

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