NICOLA Peltz has snubbed her father-in-law David Beckham’s knighthood as the family feud rumbles on.
The actress returned to social media on Tuesday to share a picture of a bunch of flowers from her sister but failed to make mention of David’s honour.
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Brooklyn Beckham’s wife Nicola Peltz has failed to mention her father-in-law’s knighthoodCredit: GettyThe actress returned to social media to thank her sister for sending her flowersCredit: InstagramDavid received his knighthood at Windsor Castle on TuesdayCredit: AP
Alongside the picture, she gushed: “Omg @brittanyleahpeltz thank you so so so much these are breathtaking.”
David received his knighthood from King Charles at Windsor Castle for services to sport and charity and were joined by his family for the special occasion.
His wife Victoria Beckham and parents Ted and Sandra watched on as the King bestowed the honour on him with a gentle touch of a sword on either shoulder.
His children Romeo, Cruz and Harper were also involved in celebrating the big day with their beloved dad.
However, eldest son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola were noticeably absent from the big day and much like his other half, Brooklyn has failed to make any mention of it on social media.
Romeo and Cruz both took to Instagram to share sweet tributes to their dad but their big brother has stayed silent.
Romeo shared an adorable picture with his parents and siblings as he penned: “No one deserves this more than you, love you so much xxx. Congrats Sir dad @davidbeckham.”
While Cruz shared the moment David received his knighthood on his stories as well as sharing David’s post.
Brooklyn and Nicola’s snub comes after he is believed to have “quit” the famous family this year following rising tension.
The Beckham family feud is understood to have actually started four years ago, when Nicola refused to wear a wedding dress designed by Victoria.
Tensions then became public when Brooklyn did not publicly acknowledge fashion designer Victoria on Mother’s Day.
He then failed to show up at any of David’s 50th birthday celebrations earlier this year.
The couple reside in their mansion in Los Angeles and appear to be very close to Nicola’s side of the family.
They tied the knot in 2022 and renewed their wedding vows earlier this year, with the ceremony being officiated by her father Nelson.
Only her family were present for the big day, with the Beckhams not being involved.
Despite the ongoing tensions, David put his best foot forward to receive the biggest honour of his career and become Sir David Beckham.
It marks the end of an agonising wait for the charity ambassador, who was first put forward for a knighthood in 2011.
He took to Instagram to pen his feelings as he wrote: “I can’t even begin to describe what a special day it is for me today, a boy born in East London, to receive a Knighthood from His Majesty The King.
“I am truly humbled and so grateful for this honour.
“All I have ever wanted to do is to make my family proud.” the star gushed.
Becks then added a sweet message to his four kids as he wrote: “To my beautiful children who I am so proud of and I know this is a proud and inspiring day for them as well, they are our greatest joy in life and my inspiration every single day. I love you all so much…”
Brooklyn and Nicola have distanced themselves from the Beckham familyCredit: GettyThe pair were notably absent from Victoria Beckham’s recent Netflix documentary launchCredit: Reuters
Australia’s upcoming social media ban for children under 16 years old will include the online forum Reddit and livestreaming platform Kick in addition to seven other well-known sites, according to the country’s online safety commissioner.
The social media ban will go into effect on December 10 and will also restrict access to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube, Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Wednesday.
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“Online platforms use technology to target children with chilling control. We are merely asking that they use that same technology to keep children safe online,” Wells said.
“We have met with several of the social media platforms in the past month so that they understand there is no excuse for failure to implement this law,” Wells told reporters in Canberra.
“We want children to have a childhood, and we want parents to have peace of mind,” she said.
Social media platforms have had 12 months to prepare for the ban since Australia passed its landmark online safety legislation in November last year.
Initial discussions focused primarily around Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube, but the list was later expanded, and Wells said the list could continue to change.
While more than 140 Australian and international academics signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year opposing the age limit ban as a “blunt” instrument, Canberra’s move is being closely watched by countries that share concerns about the impacts of online platforms on children.
“Delaying children’s access to social media accounts gives them valuable time to learn and grow, free of the powerful, unseen forces of harmful and deceptive design features such as opaque algorithms and endless scroll,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
Inman Grant said she would work with academics to evaluate the impact of the ban, including whether children sleep or interact more or become more physically active as a result of the restrictions on using social media.
“We’ll also look for unintended consequences, and we’ll be gathering evidence” so others can learn from Australia’s ban, Inman Grant said.
Critics have questioned how the restrictions will be enforced because users cannot be “compelled” to submit government IDs for an age check, according to a government fact sheet.
Discussions are under way with platforms about how to comply with the new rules, the commissioner said, while failure to comply could lead to civil fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (US$32.1m).
TikTok investigated over youth suicide
News that Australia would add more names to the list of banned platforms came as French authorities said they had opened an investigation into the social media platform TikTok and the risks of its algorithms pushing young people into suicide.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the probe was in response to a parliamentary committee’s request to open a criminal inquiry into TikTok’s possible responsibility for endangering the lives of its young users.
Beccuau said a report by the committee had noted “insufficient moderation of TikTok, its ease of access by minors and its sophisticated algorithm, which could push vulnerable individuals towards suicide by quickly trapping them in a loop of dedicated content”.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Paris police cybercrime unit will look into the offence of providing a platform for “propaganda in favour of products, objects, or methods recommended as means of committing suicide”, which is punishable by three years in prison.
The unit will also look into the offence of enabling “illegal transactions by an organised gang”, punishable by 10 years in prison and a fine of 1 million euros ($1.2m).
With more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, has come under fire from governments in Europe and the United States in recent years.
Concerns raised over the platform have included content encouraging suicide, self-harm or an unhealthy body image as well as its potential use for foreign political interference.
A TikTok spokesman told the French news agency AFP in September that the company “categorically rejects the deceptive presentation” by French MPs, saying it was being made a “scapegoat” for broader societal issues.
SAN DIEGO — As a bemused crowd of would-be illegal immigrants looked on from a makeshift hilltop refreshment stand, Republican presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan on Tuesday stepped into a confrontational arena that sums up his often confrontational campaign: the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I am calling attention to a national disgrace,” Buchanan told reporters, his suit and shoes dusty from a Border Patrol tour of the rugged terrain. “The failure of the national government of the United States to protect the borders of the United States from an illegal invasion that involves at least a million aliens a year. As a consequence of that, we have social problems and economic problems. And drug problems.”
Saying that up to 1,000 illegal immigrants were among those arrested during the Los Angeles riots, Buchanan repeated his previous calls to fortify key sections of the border with ditches and concrete-buttressed fences and to deploy U.S. military forces there if necessary.
Buchanan also advocated doubling the size of the Border Patrol to 6,600 agents, staffing immigration checkpoints on Interstates 5 and 15 24 hours a day and charging a $2 toll on legal crossings to pay for tougher enforcement.
“I don’t believe in being brutal on anyone,” he said. “But I do think that any country that wants to call itself a nation has got to defend its borders.”
Illegal immigration lies at the heart of Buchanan’s vision of what is wrong with America; the issue is perhaps the strongest attention-getter in Southern California for his fading GOP challenge.
Buchanan’s first visit to the San Diego-Tijuana border made for strange media theater. The candidate arrived by four-wheel-drive vehicle to a hot, dusty ridge overlooking Smuggler’s Canyon, a prime crossing area, where a new corrugated steel barrier meets an old, battered chain-link fence. Buchanan supporters in suits and ties reached across the international line to buy soft drinks at a makeshift refreshment stand.
About 25 Mexican migrants, most of whom had heard only vaguely of Buchanan, chatted with security agents and tried to make sense of the pin-striped visitor.
“He’s a presidential candidate?” asked a man named Guillermo. “Does he speak Spanish? Ask him if he can pull the migra out of here for 24 hours, then he can do whatever he wants. Ask him if he can give me a ride to Los Angeles.”
Filoberto, a wiry 23-year-old from Mexicali, scoffed when informed that Buchanan advocates sealing the border and giving the Border Patrol more agents and equipment.
“They have all kinds of technology,” said Filoberto, who was waiting to make his fourth attempt at crossing in a week. “But we are smarter; people are smarter than machines. We are still going to cross. In fact, as soon as all of you people get out of here, we are going to go for it.”
To the discomfort of Buchanan aides, neo-Nazi Tom Metzger showed up with a handful of raucous supporters.
Metzger’s group hovered at the edges of the press conference, yelling insults about illegal immigrants, Republicans and Democrats.
Metzger, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Aryan Resistance, was recently convicted of unlawful assembly in a Los Angeles cross-burning. He was sentenced to six months in jail but released after 46 days because of his wife’s illness and subsequent death. He said he wanted to talk to Buchanan about getting “action” to control the border.
But Buchanan rejected Metzger, saying that if Metzger contributed money to his campaign it would be returned. “I don’t have anything to do with him,” he said.
Buchanan said he thinks that he can influence President Bush’s policy–despite the fact that Bush has the GOP nomination locked up. “I think we are going to get George Bush to do something about this before that election, or at least speak to this,” he said. “He’d better do it, or he’s going to have problems.”
Tehran, Iran – President Masoud Pezeshkian unveiled a “Gen Z adviser” about a month ago, posing for a smiling photo with him that went viral online.
The adviser, Amirreza Ahmadi, told local media that he sees his mission as listening to the youth of Iran, “from Tehran to the borders of this country”, going so far as to share his mobile number.
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But he later blocked commenting on his social media profiles after criticism from users who claimed that Ahmadi did not “resemble” Gen Z Iranians, was using bots to boost his social media accounts, and had no established connection with youth groups or students demanding change.
The appointment appears to have been part of an effort by the moderate administration, which promised improved social freedoms and lifted sanctions during election campaigns, to connect with younger generations, who have been driving political change across Asia and globally.
Pezeshkian and his administration have struggled, though – partly as a result of indifference from many young Iranians to their overtures, and partly because many of the Iranian establishment’s more hardline factions have little interest in appeasing the youth.
Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, said the Iranian state is struggling to speak the language of a generation that grew up online and outside its ideological frame.
People in the Tajrish Bazaar after ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Tehran, June 26, 2025 [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
As such, she added, its outreach “feels transactional rather than transformative and ultimately is directed to staving off unrest and protests”, while the hardline elite’s fear of losing control outweighs any concern about losing the young.
“That imbalance keeps Iran locked in a politics of repression rather than renewal. I think the system will be locked between conflicting messages, narratives, and policies,” she told Al Jazeera.
Many of the people defying aspects of state controls are Gen Z youth, who are, like most Iranians, also crushed by the deteriorating economic conditions and rampant inflation amid corruption and mismanagement.
Testing the boundaries
With Israel and its Western allies openly touting regime change in Iran since the 12-day war between them in June, authorities say they recognise that public support is needed to get the country through difficult conditions, including reinstated UN sanctions and the lingering threat of war.
This forced some officials, mostly those in the more moderate or pragmatic camps, to advocate for dialling down some controls on social freedoms.
Former President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate camp leader, last week criticised hardline lawmakers and politicians for advancing legislation opposed by an overwhelming majority of Iranians, in a likely reference to the contentious issue of mandatory hijab.
The government has said it will not enforce the law.
A video recorded in downtown Tehran went viral online this week, showing young men and women, who disregarded the dress code imposed by the theological establishment, enjoying a street music performance.
After years of musicians defying a state ban on street performances, they have become increasingly common, but still face crackdowns if they get too much attention.
At least one of the band members had their Instagram account closed by Iranian authorities, with the police posting on the account that it was shut down by judicial order due to “publishing criminal content”.
The authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the band member could face further punishment.
Hardline conservative media outlets this week reported another crackdown in Tehran.
Ticket sales for a “disco that included naked women dancing with boys” in the Pakdasht area were stopped, and legal cases were opened against organisers, according to the state-run Fars news website, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
This was in reference to an electronic music event that had been running for weeks and was selling tickets legally after obtaining the required permits from the authorities.
Dancing in public spaces, especially when done by men and women together, are prohibited and at times, punished by Iranian authorities.
Drinking alcohol remains outlawed, as well, leading to some Iranians purchasing smuggled goods or dangerous homemade products. Alcohol tainted with ethanol and other chemicals continues to claim dozens of lives each year.
But some cafes and restaurants continue to hire DJs – and at times, serve alcohol – despite the restrictions.
In mid-September, authorities permanently shut down a major restaurant located in Tehran’s Nahjol Balaghe Park because a clip showed people dancing to music inside and because alcohol was allegedly served there.
Several clothing shops and other vendors have been shut down over recent weeks after they held events where young people danced in attendance.
In mid-September, authorities also cancelled a major public concert at Tehran’s iconic Azadi Tower that was initially conceived by the government as a demonstration of national unity.
The apparent contradiction between the positions of different factions within the establishment highlights the nature of Iran – with the government not necessarily having the final say in diffferent matters, and other forces, such as the Revolutionary Guard, able to defy government policy.
Hijab laws, online freedoms
The Supreme National Security Council has ordered authorities to stop heavily enforcing the controversial hijab law, which penalises women and men with prison time, being lashed or paying fines if the state determines their attire is improper.
Iranian woman, Bahareh, rides a motorcycle without a licence in Tehran on September 8, 2025 [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
Iran experienced months of deadly nationwide protests in 2022 and 2023 after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested over her hijab.
However, some so-called “morality police” vans have been seen in cities across the country, even though Pezeshkian’s government said no budget had been dedicated towards it.
Another group defying the system in Iran are women riding motorcycles, as the state still won’t issue them motorcycle licences.
The government introduced legislation to allow women to ride, but it is stuck in a parliament dominated by hardline lawmakers after a record-low turnout in elections since 2020.
More women are riding motorcycles across the country, however, with hundreds filmed recently taking part in group rides in Tehran.
Pezeshkian’s government has also failed to honour another campaign promise: lifting draconian state bans on almost all global social media and tens of thousands of websites.
The government this week blamed Israel for the continued imposition of the tough internet restrictions, claiming that the controls would have been lifted had it not been for the June war.
Azadeh Moaveni, writer and associate professor at New York University, told Al Jazeera she does not believe any faction of the state enjoys broad support from the younger generation, as they haven’t been able to offer them anything substantial.
“Pragmatists within the state are just offering their own frustration, which is of zero value, and at best pointing out, as the president has, that he won’t enforce laws that the majority of the country opposes, like the hijab law,” she said.
Moaveni said the dynamic of loosening and tightening of social freedoms by the state to manage society was no longer working, partly due to the changes taking place in society and also because of the dire economic conditions and multiple ongoing crises reshaping daily life.
Former Ireland star Conor Murray says the “shackles are off” as he launches a new BBC Sounds podcast – the Ireland Rugby Social.
Murray, who won international 125 caps, will join BBC Sport NI’s Gavin Andrews to give his unique insight into the mindset of a professional athlete as Ireland gear up for the autumn internationals and the 2026 Six Nations.
Each week, Murray will sit down with players, coaches and rugby insiders to dive into the sport’s biggest stories as Ireland face New Zealand, Japan, Australia and South Africa this autumn, before the Six Nations kicks off next year.
With five Six Nations titles and two United Rugby Championships with Munster, the three-time British and Irish Lion is uniquely placed to go beyond the headlines – and he says: “I can say what I want.”
“As a player you are always worried about protecting the team or the coach, or saying something the coach might not agree with after,” said Murray.
“But now the shackles are off. Now you can speak your mind and say things how you see it.”
Every Tuesday there will be podcast with a special guest who will offer their own insight into their life in rugby, whether that is playing, coaching or a role you may not know about.
Additionally, throughout November and Six Nations there will be a second podcast reflecting on the game that’s just been played and a look ahead at what is to come.
“Rugby has been such a big part of my life for so long, so I think staying connected to it is probably a good idea,” Murray added.
“I can give some insight, get some guests with some interesting stories – stories that you maybe haven’t heard before.
“I know the guests we have will be able to relax and tell us their true thoughts and stories.”
Social Security will soon be making a big announcement. On Oct. 24, 2025, the Social Security Administration will finally let seniors know what their 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is going to look like.
COLAs happen in most years to help retirees maintain their buying power. Because COLAs increase the retirement benefits seniors collect, the news about how big the raise will be is always much-anticipated.
Unfortunately, although retirees are most likely going to get a bigger benefits increase than last year, many seniors are inevitably going to end up disappointed with the increase to their checks in 2026.
Here’s the surprising reason why that’s the case.
The COLA is going to be bigger– but there’s a problem
Although the official announcement on the Social Security COLA has not been made yet, the Senior Citizens League is projecting that benefits are going to increase by 2.7% next year. This estimate is based on year-to-date changes to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
CPI-W is used to determine how much Social Security benefits should increase because it helps to measure inflation, and the purpose of the COLAs is to make sure that Social Security benefits do not lose buying power. While the formula isn’t a perfect one since the spending habits of urban wage earners and clerical workers aren’t exactly aligned with senior spending, the formula does give an idea of how much prices are rising — and retirees get a benefits increase equal to the average year-over-year change to CPI-W in the third quarter of the year.
Since we have a lot of this data available, the Senior Citizens League estimate is probably fairly close to accurate, and barring any major surprises when the September inflation data is released in October, the raise should come in at around that projected 2.7%. And, if it does, that will be a little bit bigger than the benefits increase retirees received in 2025.
A bigger raise should make seniors pretty happy since they’ll get more money to help maintain buying power — but there’s a surprising reason why that’s not necessarily going to be the case. The problem is that a good portion of the additional funds coming to retirees will disappear to cover rising Medicare premiums.
COLAs will take a huge hit due to rising Medicare premiums
For any retiree who is on Medicare, the COLA is probably going to be a huge disappointment because of how little of it will be left after Medicare premiums are accounted for.
See, Medicare premiums come out of most people’s Social Security checks. And Medicare Part B premiums are going up by a huge amount next year. The Medicare Trustees’ report projects that premiums are going to increase by $21.50 per month, jumping all the way up from $185 in 2025 to $206.50 in 2026. This is one of the biggest year-over-year increases in the history of the Medicare program.
If a typical retiree is collecting the average benefit of $2,008.31 in 2025, a 2.7% COLA would result in their benefits increasing by around $54. If $21.50 of that disappears, then the typical retired Social Security recipient will end up seeing their monthly payments go up by only $32.50.
By contrast, if someone had started with that same $2,008.31 check in 2025 and received a 2.5% COLA, they’d have seen their benefit go up by around $50.00 — but, since Medicare premiums only rose by $10.30 per month between 2024 and 2025, retirees would have seen benefits go up by around $40.
Retirees need to be aware that so much of their benefit increase is going to disappear to rising Medicare premiums this year, and take that into account during their retirement planning process for the upcoming year. Seniors need to maintain a safe withdrawal rate from their 401(k) and other retirement accounts, and with a Social Security raise that ends up pretty small after Medicare costs take a bite out of it, this may require some careful budgeting.
Retirees are getting a Social Security raise in 2026. How will it compare to the benefits bump they got in 2025?
In most years, Social Security retirees receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), and that’s likely to happen in 2026. COLAs are critical because without them, benefits would remain unchanged while the price of goods and services increase over time. Retirees would be left with far less buying power, and many would struggle to make ends meet since Social Security is an important income source for seniors.
COLAs aren’t the same from one year to the next, though. While the 2026 COLA hasn’t been announced, there are good estimates of what it’s going to be. Based on the existing data, it looks like the amount of the benefits increase is going to be different from the raise retirees got in 2025.
Here’s what next year’s COLA is likely to be, compared with the benefits bump you got in 2025.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
How will next year’s Social Security COLA compare?
The 2026 COLA will officially be announced on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. The Senior Citizens League estimates the cost-of-living adjustment will result in a 2.7% benefits increase.
A 2.7% increase would be a bit larger than the raise retirees got in 2025, when benefits rose 2.5%. However, it will be smaller than COLAs from recent memory, including the 3.2% benefit increase in 2024, the 8.7% raise in 2023, and the 5.9% COLA in 2022.
Unfortunately, while the COLA is on track to be larger in 2026 than in 2025, retirees may not see the full 2.7% increase in their payment because Medicare premiums are going to be rising as well — and by much more than they did in 2025.
In 2025, the standard premium for Medicare Part B rose $10.30, jumping from $174.70 in 2024 to $185.00 in 2025. In 2026, projections from the Medicare Board of Trustees suggest that Part B premiums will go up $21.50, from the current $185.00 all the way up to $206.50. This is one of the biggest year-over-year increases in the history of the program.
Unfortunately, since most people have Medicare premiums taken directly out of their Social Security checks, a good portion of the extra money that seniors get from the COLA will disappear.
For example, if someone had a $2,000 monthly benefit in 2024, this year’s 2.5% COLA would have given them around a $50 monthly raise, and they’d have lost $10.30 of it. Their check would have gone up by around $39.70.
Someone with a $2,000 check in 2025, on the other hand, could see their payments rise by 2.7% in 2026, or $54 per month. A $21.50 Medicare premium increase would leave them with only $32.50 extra each month.
This means the “bigger” benefits bump this year may be nothing but a mirage, and retirees could find themselves struggling to maintain buying power based on current levels of inflation.
Is a larger COLA good news or bad news?
The reality is, even aside from the Medicare issue, it isn’t good news that Social Security retirees are on track for a bigger COLA. That’s because cost-of-living adjustments are directly tied to a formula that measures how much the cost of goods and services is going up. A bigger raise means there are higher levels of inflation, and inflation generally isn’t good for older people on fixed incomes.
Many seniors also have money saved in retirement plans, and since people tend to be conservative with their investments during retirement, their returns may not outpace inflation by much when inflation is high.
For now, seniors will need to simply wait and see what the official COLA announcement brings on Oct. 24. The news will offer insight into what their finances will look like in the coming year, but retirees should prepare for potential disappointment, even if the COLA amount looks good on paper.
There’s no guesswork to it — the underlying math is actually quite cut and dried.
Social Security was never meant to make up the entirety of anyone’s retirement income. The fact is, however, some people are collecting surprisingly big checks. This year’s maximum-possible monthly payment is $5,108, or $61,296 per year. That’s almost as much as the median salary U.S. workers are currently taking home, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How did they do it, and what will it take for you to do it as well? Here’s how to get the very most you can out of the government-managed entitlement program.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. A minimum of 35 years’ worth of work-based taxable income
There are three components to your future Social Security benefits. One of them the sheer number of years you earned taxable income as an employee. You’ll need to work for at least 35 years to maximize your payments.
See, when calculating your monthly benefit, the Social Security Administration looks at your inflation-adjusted income in your 35 highest-earning years. You don’t have to work a full 35 years to claim benefits, to be clear. It’s just that for any year less than 35 that you don’t earn any reported income, the program fills in those blanks with a value of $0, dragging down your annual average.
Conversely, working more than 35 years won’t necessarily help, since you only get credit for your best 35. There may still be an upside to working more than 35 years though. If you didn’t earn a great deal of money in some of them but are making good money now, you’ll be replacing some of those lower-earning years with higher-earning ones, raising your overall average of your top 35.
2. Strong earnings for at least 35 of those years
It’s not just a matter of making good money for a minimum of 35 years though. You must earn well above average earnings for that length of time, reaching or eclipsing Social Security’s taxable income threshold in each of those.
And these thresholds are pretty high. This year, for instance, the program doesn’t stop increasing your FICA tax liability until you reach earnings of $176,100. Here’s the minimum amount of taxable wages you would have needed to earn each and every year going all the way back to 1986 to max out your future benefits payments.
Year
Taxable Income
Year
Taxable Income
1986
$42,000
2006
$94,200
1987
$43,800
2007
$97,500
1988
$45,000
2008
$102,000
1989
$48,000
2009
$106,800
1990
$51,300
2010
$106,800
1991
$53,400
2011
$106,800
1992
$55,500
2012
$110,100
1993
$57,600
2013
$113,700
1994
$60,600
2014
$117,000
1995
$61,200
2015
$118,500
1996
$62,700
2016
$118,500
1997
$65,400
2017
$127,200
1998
$68,400
2018
$128,400
1999
$72,600
2019
$132,900
2000
$76,200
2020
$137,700
2001
$80,400
2021
$142,000
2002
$84,900
2022
$147,000
2003
$87,000
2023
$160.200
2004
$87,900
2024
$168,600
2005
$90,000
2025
$176,100
To be clear, although you pay into Social Security’s pool of funds via taxes on wages up to these amounts, you don’t pay additional FICA taxes above and beyond these amounts (although you do pay ever-rising income tax the more money you make, since tax rates rise the more you earn). The program stops taxing you beyond these levels because it wouldn’t offer you any additional benefit in return. Again, the absolute ceiling is $5,108 per month.
3. Waiting until you turn 70 to claim benefits
Finally, although you can initiate your Social Security retirement benefits as soon as you turn 62, doing so would dramatically reduce the size of your check by as much as 30% of your intended benefit at their full retirement age, depending on when you were born. Even claiming benefits at your official full retirement age, however, still wouldn’t get you to the maximum-possible benefit. To secure the maximum amount of $5,108, you must until you reach the age of 70 to begin your Social Security payments. That will improve the size of most people’s payments by 24% (if not more) above their payment if claiming at their full retirement age.
Just know that there’s no point in waiting any longer than this to file, since Social Security stops adding credit for delaying your benefits beyond the age of 70. In fact, there’s good reason to claim pretty soon after you reach this point. The Social Security Administration will back pay you some of what it owes you if you don’t file right away. But it will only give you a maximum of six months’ worth of back pay, no matter how long after you turn 70 you claim your retirement benefits.
Prioritize what you can control
You know there’s no way you’re going to qualify for this amount? That’s OK. Most people don’t. Fewer than 20% of recipients see monthly checks of more than $3,000, in fact.
Don’t let that discourage you though. Even modest wage-earners can put themselves in a far better financial situation with their own savings than they’d ever be able to achieve with Social Security. Most calculations of Social Security contributions’ effective rate of return only put the figure in the mid-single-digits, versus the stock market’s average annual gain of around 10%.
Besides, Social Security was never meant to be anyone’s sole source of retirement income anyway. Do what you reasonably can to max it out, but mostly stay focused on maximizing the growth of your own personal retirement nest egg.
We look at 16-year-olds who are set to be given the right to vote in the UK.
Sixteen-year-olds now have the right to vote in all UK elections, as part of sweeping election reforms. Supporters believe this change will modernise democracy and say the young generation is already engaged with issues like climate change, education, and the economy. Opponents, however, argue that 16 is too young to make such weighty political decisions and warn that it could weaken the integrity of the electoral system.
Presenter: Stefanie Dekker
Guests:
Cameron Holt – Member of Youth Parliament, Bassetlaw
Thomas Brochure – Co-director, Make It 16 NZ
Nuurrianti Jalli – Researcher, Oklahoma State University
A lot of people start collecting Social Security specifically because they’ve stopped working, or when they’re ready to stop. But you should know that if you wish to work while collecting Social Security, that option exists.
However, there are rules you should know in the context of working while on Social Security. Here’s a rundown.
Image source: Getty Images.
Working while on Social Security has its advantages
You may find that your Social Security benefits aren’t enough to cover your retirement expenses in full. If you don’t have an IRA or 401(k) to supplement with, then you may be inclined to work in some capacity to make up the difference.
Once you reach full retirement age, which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later, you don’t have to worry about having Social Security benefits withheld for working, regardless of what you earn. But if you’re collecting Social Security before having reached full retirement age, you’ll be subject to an earnings test whose limits change annually.
This year, for example, you can earn up to $23,400 without having any Social Security withheld if you’re under full retirement age. Beyond that point, you’ll have $1 in Social Security withheld per $2 of income.
The earnings-test limit is much higher if you’re reaching full retirement age at some point in 2025. In that case, it’s $62,160. And beyond that point, you’ll have $1 in Social Security withheld per $3 of income.
If you’re under full retirement age but also earn less than the earnings-test limit, you can enjoy a nice supplement to your income without any negative impact. And even if you have benefits withheld for exceeding the earnings-test limit, you’ll get that money back eventually.
Once you reach full retirement age, your monthly benefits will be recalculated and boosted to make up for withheld Social Security earlier on. That could be a good thing, because if you get used to living on less and your monthly benefits go up substantially, it could feel like a bonus of sorts.
You may get larger monthly benefits for another reason
In addition to putting more money in your pocket, working while on Social Security could set you up for larger benefits down the line. The formula used to calculate your benefits accounts for your 35 highest-paid years of earnings while adjusting earlier wages for inflation.
If you earn a lot while collecting Social Security, you might replace a year of lower income with a higher income. That could, in turn, lead to larger benefit payments.
Let’s say you worked for 35 years, but for three of those years, you only worked part-time and earned very little. If you work part-time while on Social Security and bring in $22,000 over the course of the year, you’ll be below the earnings-test limit.
But $22,000 may also be a lot more than what you earned during one of your years of part-time work, even with those earlier wages adjusted for inflation. So you may find that working leads to a more generous monthly payday for life once the Social Security Administration is able to factor your most recent wages into your benefit formula.
Know the rules
You may have heard that working while on Social Security is not a good idea because of the earnings-test limit. Or, you may be under the impression that if you’re getting monthly benefits, you’re barred from working, period.
It’s important to understand the rules of working while collecting Social Security so you’re able to supplement your income as you please. And you may find that holding down a job while receiving benefits gives you more money not just from those wages, but in the form of larger monthly Social Security checks later on.
YouTube users reported problems streaming content and accessing the app for about 60 minutes before the company resolved the issue.
Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025
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YouTube says it has resolved problems with its website and app after hundreds of thousands of users worldwide self-reported issues with its streaming services.
“This issue has been fixed – you should now be able to play videos on YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV!” YouTube wrote on X on Thursday morning in Asia.
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YouTube did not disclose why users reported problems streaming videos for about 60 minutes on Thursday morning, or the global extent of the problem.
Disruptions began just before 7am in East Asia (23:00 GMT, Wednesday) for YouTube, YouTube Music and YouTube TV, according to Downdetector, a website that aggregates website disruptions in real time.
Users from Asia to Europe and North America soon reported problems streaming, accessing the website, and using the apps of YouTube and its affiliates, though error reports were most heavily concentrated in the US, according to Downdetector’s user-generated error map.
Major disruptions were also reported in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom, although the extent of the problem is unknown because Downdetector data is based on user-submitted reports and social media.
The number of error reports peaked at 393,038 reports in the US at 7:57am (23:57 GMT) before falling off sharply, according to Downdetector data.
Downdetector reported a smaller number of disruptions for YouTube Music and YouTube TV, which both peaked at fewer than 5,000 error reports in the US over the same period of time.
Between the 10th and 15th of every month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the previous month’s inflation data. This information is used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to calculate the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
The BLS was slated to release the September inflation report — the final piece of data needed to unveil the 2026 COLA — at 08:30 a.m. ET on Oct. 15. But due to the federal government shutdown, the most-anticipated announcement of the year has been pushed back.
Social Security’s 2026 COLA reveal will occur on Oct. 24
In its simplest form, Social Security’s COLA is the near-annual “raise” passed along to beneficiaries to offset the impact of inflation (rising prices). If benefits weren’t adjusted for the effects of inflation, Social Security recipients would see their income lose buying power most years.
For the last half-century, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) has served as Social Security’s inflation measuring stick. With more than 200 different spending categories, each with its own unique percentage weightings, the CPI-W can be reported as a single figure by the BLS each month.
The quirk with Social Security’s COLA calculation is that only the months of July, August, and September (the third quarter) matter. The other nine months of the year can be helpful in spotting trends, but they aren’t used in the COLA calculation.
With CPI-W readings from July and August already known, the only puzzle piece missing is September. Unfortunately, most economic data reports from federal agencies are delayed indefinitely during government shutdowns.
However, some BLS staffers are going back to work and will be releasing the September inflation report on Friday, Oct. 24, at 08:30 a.m. ET, according to information provided to CNBC. The SSA will announce the 2026 COLA on Oct. 24, as well.
Based on estimates from nonpartisan senior advocacy group The Senior Citizens League and independent Social Security and Medicare policy analyst Mary Johnson, next year’s COLA is forecast to come in at 2.7% or 2.8%, respectively. This would work out to an extra $54 to $56 per month for the typical retired-worker beneficiary, and $43 to $44 extra each month for the average worker with disabilities and survivor beneficiary.
While little is set in stone — other than the expectation of the BLS reporting the last piece of data needed to calculate the 2026 COLA on Oct. 24 — retirees are very likely getting the short end of the stick with next year’s raise. COLAs have consistently come up short for retirees, and a projected 11.5% increase in the 2026 Medicare Part B premium isn’t going to help.
Image source: Getty Images.
No speculating here! This is the one guaranteed Social Security change for 2026
Though the government shutdown has delayed the release of key pieces of information, such as next year’s COLA, the maximum taxable earnings cap, the maximum monthly payout at full retirement age, and the withholding thresholds tied to the retirement earnings test, there is one Social Security change that’s guaranteed to take place in 2026. However, you’ll have to go to the state level to see it.
Firstly, yes, Social Security benefits may be taxable at the federal and state levels.
Individuals whose provisional income — adjusted gross income (AGI) + tax-free interest + one-half benefits — tops $25,000, or $32,000 for couples filing jointly, can have some of their Social Security income exposed to federal taxation.
When the calendar flips to Jan. 1, 2026, West Virginia will officially become one of 42 states that don’t tax Social Security income.
In the 2022 tax year, West Virginia made Social Security income exempt from state-level taxation for individuals and jointly filing couples with respective AGIs of $50,000 or less and $100,000 or less.
In March 2024, West Virginia’s legislature passed, and its governor signed, a new law that phases out the taxation of Social Security benefits over a three-year period for those folks who didn’t qualify for this previous AGI adjustment.
Beginning in the 2024 tax year, West Virginians who received Social Security benefits and generated more than $50,000 in AGI (or $100,000 in AGI, if filing jointly) saw 35% of their Social Security benefits exempted from state-level taxation. In 2025, this exemption increased to 65% of Social Security income. In 2026, 100% of Social Security income will be exempted at the state level.
West Virginia will join Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota as states that have shelved the taxation of Social Security benefits since this decade began.
While this has been anything but a normal COLA announcement month for Social Security, the one thing we do know is that Social Security recipients in West Virginia will be all smiles when the new year arrives.
Those annual raises have a major flaw that cannot be overlooked.
There’s one piece of news seniors on Social Security have been itching to get for months now — news of an official cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2026.
At this point, it’s pretty clear that 2026 is not going to be one of those 0% COLA years. Though there have been 0% COLAs in the past, inflation has risen enough to date that experts can say with confidence that Social Security benefits will, indeed, be going up in the new year. The question is by how much.
Image source: Getty Images.
Current estimates seem to be floating in the 2.7% to 2.8% range. But we won’t know what next year’s COLA is for sure until the Social Security Administration makes its big announcement.
That said, Social Security’s upcoming COLA is probably going to be bad news no matter what it actually amounts to. It’s important to understand why — and take steps to work around that.
Why Social Security’s upcoming COLA probably won’t cut it
There’s a reason not to get too excited about Social Security’s 2026 COLA. That reason boils down to the fact that Social Security COLAs have been failing seniors for decades.
In fact, the Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group, says that seniors on Social Security lost 20% of their buying power between 2010 and 2024 due to insufficient COLAs. So chances are, next year’s COLA won’t keep up with inflation, either.
The problem stems from how Social Security COLAs are calculated. They’re based on annual third-quarter changes to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
Now, let’s look at that index’s name carefully. Notice the terms “urban,” “wage earners,” and “clerical workers.” Do those describe the typical Social Security recipient?
It’s true that plenty of retirees reside in cities. But that’s certainly not a given. In fact, many retirees are able to move outside of cities to lower their costs once they no longer have to worry about proximity to a job.
Many Social Security recipients, by nature, are also not workers. They’re retired. So it’s pretty silly to base Social Security COLAs on an index that measures the costs a different subset of people face.
Advocates have been pushing to base Social Security COLAs on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, or CPI-E. But lawmakers haven’t exactly been jumping to make that change, so it’s not one to expect anytime soon.
Prepare to be disappointed now
No matter what raise Social Security recipients end up eligible for in 2026, chances are, it won’t cut it. Plus, if you’re on Medicare as well, any increase in the cost of Part B will eat away at your COLA.
If you want to improve your financial picture for 2026, you can’t sit back and wait for your COLA to take effect for that to happen. Instead, you should take matters into your own hands.
Here are some specific steps to take:
Do a thorough review of your retirement budget
Identify a few expenses you can reduce or even eliminate
Explore options for going back to work, whether as an hourly employee or a gig worker
See if it’s possible to downsize your home or rent out a room for income
Explore moving in with a family member if money is very tight
Review your Medicare plan choices carefully during open enrollment to lower your healthcare costs
There may be other steps you can take to improve your finances, too, and it’s worth exploring them. What you don’t want to do is assume that your Social Security COLA will be the solution to your financial problems.
Even if Social Security’s 2026 COLA is more generous than expected, chances are good that it won’t do the job of keeping up with inflation that it’s supposed to. The sooner you’re able to accept that, the sooner you can start making positive changes that have a real effect.
The State Department says the US has ‘no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans’ after revoking visas over critical social media posts.
The US Department of State says it has revoked the visas of six foreigners over remarks they made on social media about Charlie Kirk, the conservative political activist who was shot dead at a rally in September.
“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans. The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the department said in a post on X on Tuesday evening in the US.
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The post was followed by a list of screenshots and critical remarks from six social media accounts, which the State Department said belonged to individuals from South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay and Mexico.
“An Argentine national said that Kirk ‘devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric’ and deserves to burn in hell. Visa revoked,” the State Department tweeted along with a screenshot that had the username blacked out.
The screenshot post said Kirk was now somewhere “hot” – an allusion to religious descriptions of hell.
The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.
The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk. Here are just a few examples of aliens who are no longer welcome in the U.S.:
The news from the State Department came as Kirk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday by President Donald Trump.
Kirk, who was 31 at the time of his death, was a cofounder of the conservative Turning Point student organisation. He was credited with driving young voters to vote for Trump during last year’s US presidential election.
His death led to a wave of social media commentary on the US left and right about his politics, as Trump elevated him to the status of a “martyr for truth” during a memorial service.
More than 145 people were fired, suspended, or resigned over social media posts or comments about Kirk, according to a New York Times investigation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously said the Trump administration could revoke the visas of foreign nationals over comments on Kirk, while Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau urged internet users to report social media comments of people applying for US visas.
“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action,” Landau tweeted in September. “Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the [State Department] can protect the American people.”
In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country. I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light…
While the State Department has required visa applicants to share their social media handles on their applications since 2019, in June, it added the provision that student applicants must make all their social media accounts public for government vetting.
The move follows a crackdown on international students who supported pro-Palestine protests on university and college campuses across the US under the Trump administration.
In August, a State Department official told Fox News it had revoked more than 6,000 student visas this year.
About two-thirds of visas were revoked because students reportedly broke US law, the Fox News report said, while “200 to 300” were cancelled because they supported “terrorism” or engaged in “behaviour such as raising funds for the militant group Hamas”.
The government shutdown has complicated things, but the COLA is still coming soon.
Every October, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the upcoming year.
Up until recently, that announcement was supposed to be around Oct. 15 — right after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases September’s inflation report. But with the federal government closed until further notice, it seemed as if that report wouldn’t be released anytime soon.
New information from the BLS, however, suggests we could be getting the COLA announcement sooner than expected. Here’s when it might be coming, what it might be, and how that might affect your retirement.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
When will the new COLA be released?
The SSA calculates the COLA by averaging Consumer Price Index data from July, August, and September. That average is compared to the figure from the same period the year prior, and if it’s higher, the percentage difference will be next year’s COLA.
Before the government shut down, the BLS was expected to release September’s Consumer Price Index data on Oct. 15. But with that office almost entirely furloughed, it was unlikely the report would be published before the government reopened.
However, on Oct. 10, the BLS published an update noting that September’s inflation report would be released on Oct. 24. Generally, the SSA announces the new COLA almost immediately after the BLS inflation report is published.
What might next year’s adjustment be?
We won’t know the official 2026 COLA until the SSA makes the announcement later this month, but nonpartisan advocacy group The Senior Citizens League has estimated that it will land at 2.7%.
That figure is based on already available inflation data, as well as the projected data from September. If September’s numbers are significantly different from the estimates, the COLA may be higher or lower than predicted.
The average retired worker collects just over $2,000 per month in benefits, according to August 2025 data from the SSA. A 2.7% COLA, then, would amount to a raise of around $56 per month.
While any boost in benefits is helpful to a degree, for many retirees, next year’s COLA may be underwhelming. Inflation has stayed stubbornly high throughout the year, and tariffs have also taken a bite out of many retirees’ budgets.
Medicare Part B premiums are also expected to increase from $185 per month this year to a projected $206.50 per month in 2026, according to this year’s Medicare Trustees Report. Because Medicare premiums are typically deducted from Social Security checks, that $21.50 monthly increase will eat up a significant chunk of the COLA raise for the average retiree.
What does this mean for retirees?
It doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out for the COLA announcement to help budget for 2026, but for the most part, retirees may want to avoid relying too heavily on this adjustment to make ends meet.
Again, any extra cash can help pay the bills, especially with many older adults stretched thin financially right now. But with Social Security not going as far as it used to, it may be wise to start finding ways to reduce your dependence on your benefits.
According to a report from The Senior Citizens League, Social Security benefits lost around 20% of their buying power between 2010 and 2024. If you can swing it, finding a source of passive income or going back to work temporarily could have a bigger impact on your budget than any COLA.
This won’t be possible for everyone, but if you can beef up your savings even slightly, you won’t need to worry quite as much about future COLAs falling short. No matter where the 2026 adjustment lands, it’s wise to keep realistic expectations about how far that money will go.
In just a few days, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will be making a huge announcement about changes to the program in 2026. A new earnings-test limit will be shared, as well as the maximum monthly benefit.
Perhaps the most anticipated update the SSA will share, however, is an official cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2026.
Image source: Getty Images.
Each year, Social Security benefits are eligible for a raise, based on inflation. Without COLAs, beneficiaries would be pretty much guaranteed to lose buying power over time.
Initial projections are calling for a 2.7% COLA for 2026, but that number doesn’t take inflation data from September into account. If inflation rose substantially last month, seniors could be looking at an even larger boost to their Social Security checks in 2026.
While a 2.7% or higher COLA might seem like something to celebrate, you may want to temper your excitement if you count on Social Security for income. That’s because that COLA may not be yours to keep in full.
Will a Medicare increase eat into your COLA?
Seniors who are enrolled in Medicare and Social Security at the same time pay their premiums for Part B, which covers outpatient care, directly out of their monthly benefits. This means that if the cost of Medicare increases in 2026, it will eat into whatever COLA retirees receive.
In 2025, the standard monthly Part B premium rose from $174.70 to $185. But based on projections from the Medicare Trustees released earlier this year, the standard Part B premium for 2026 could be a whopping $206.50 — an increase of $21.50. It also could cause many seniors to lose out on a good chunk of their Social Security raises.
As of August, the average monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers was about $2,008. A 2.7% COLA would result in a boost of about $54 per month. However, if Medicare Part B goes up by $21.50 per month, the typical Social Security benefit might only rise by around $32.50, in practice.
It’s best to have income outside of Social Security
Until the SSA makes an official COLA announcement on Oct. 15, we won’t know for sure what next year’s COLA will amount to. However, even if it’s fairly generous, a large uptick in Part B costs could wipe out much of it.
That’s why it’s important not to be too reliant on Social Security COLAs to keep up with inflation. A better bet? Save well for retirement, and set yourself up with a portfolio of assets that continues to generate income for you.
Those assets could include a mix of stocks and bonds. The stocks should ideally provide growth and income in the form of dividend payments. The bond portion, meanwhile, may be more stable, providing you with steady income you can use to supplement your monthly Social Security checks.
There are other options for generating retirement income, too, like working part-time. And that part-time work doesn’t have to come in the form of a boring job with a strict, preset schedule.
Thanks to the gig economy, you can explore different options for earning some money. You may find that, on top of the extra income being helpful, it’s nice to have a reason to get out of the house on a regular basis and socialize with other people.
No matter what strategy you choose, the key is to have some income outside of Social Security — because while the program’s COLAs do help seniors keep up with inflation to some degree, they also have their fair share of shortcomings.
A Social Security dollar simply isn’t what it used to be.
For most retirees, Social Security is more than just a monthly deposit into their bank accounts. It represents a financial lifeline that helps them make ends meet.
In 2023, Social Security lifted more than 22 million people out of poverty, according to an analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), and 16.3 million of these recipients were aged 65 and over. If Social Security didn’t exist, the CBPP estimates the poverty rate for adults aged 65 and up would jump nearly fourfold, from 10.1% (with existing payouts) to 37.3%.
Meanwhile, 24 years of annual surveys from Gallup show that 80% to 90% of aged beneficiaries lean on their payouts in some capacity to cover their expenses.
For retirees, few announcements have more bearing than the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) reveal in October. Though Social Security payouts are on track to do something that hasn’t been witnessed in almost 30 years, next year’s “raise” appears set to give retirees the short end of the stick, yet again!
Image source: Getty Images.
What is Social Security’s COLA and why might the 2026 reveal be delayed?
The fabled “COLA” you’ve probably been hearing and reading about over the last couple of weeks is the tool the Social Security Administration (SSA) has on its proverbial toolbelt to keep benefits aligned with inflation.
Hypothetically, if a large basket of goods and services that retirees regularly purchase increases in cost by 2% from one year to the next, Social Security benefits would also need to climb by 2%. Otherwise, these folks would see their buying power decline. Social Security’s COLA attempts to mirror the inflationary pressures that program recipients are facing so they don’t lose purchasing power.
This near-annual raise is based on changes to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which has measured price changes for Social Security since 1975. It has more than 200 individually weighted categories, which allows the CPI-W to be chiseled down to a single figure at the end of each month. These readings can be compared to the prior-year period to determine if prices are collectively rising (inflation) or declining (deflation).
What makes the COLA calculation unique is that only CPI-W readings from July, August, and September (the third quarter) are used to determine the upcoming year’s raise. If the average third-quarter CPI-W reading in the current year is higher than the comparable period last year, prices, as a whole, have risen, and so will Social Security checks in the upcoming year.
The catch with Social Security’s 2026 COLA is that its expected reveal on Oct. 15 may be delayed. The September inflation report is the final puzzle piece needed to calculate the program’s cost-of-living adjustment. However, most economic data releases are delayed during a federal government shutdown, which, in turn, can postpone the Oct. 15 COLA announcement set for 8:30 a.m. ET.
A higher prevailing rate of inflation in recent years has led to beefier annual COLAs. U.S. Inflation Rate data by YCharts.
A first-of-its-century raise is eventually headed retirees’ way
Once the SSA does have the necessary data to calculate and reveal the 2026 COLA, it’s a virtual certainty that beneficiaries will witness history being made.
Over the last four years, Social Security recipients — retired workers, workers with disabilities, and survivor beneficiaries — have enjoyed above-average cost-of-living adjustments. From 2022 through 2025, their Social Security checks grew by 5.9%, 8.7%, 3.2%, and 2.5%, respectively. To put these figures into some sort of context, the average COLA increase over the last 16 years was 2.3%.
Based on two independent estimates that were updated following the release of the August inflation report, a fifth-consecutive year above this 16-year average is expected.
Nonpartisan senior advocacy association The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) has pegged their 2026 COLA forecast at 2.7%, while independent Social Security and Medicare policy analyst Mary Johnson is calling for a slightly higher boost of 2.8%. These two forecasts would imply a roughly $54 to $56 per-month increase in the average retired-worker benefit in the new year.
More importantly, a 2.7% or 2.8% COLA would result in an event that hasn’t been witnessed in almost three decades. From 1988 through 1997, Social Security COLAs vacillated between 2.6% and 5.4%. If the 2026 COLA comes in at 2.5% or above, which looks like a virtual certainty based on independent estimates, it would mark the first time in 29 years that benefits will have risen by at least 2.5% for five consecutive years.
Image source: Getty Images.
The purchasing power of a Social Security dollar isn’t what it used to be
Unfortunately, this potentially history-making moment won’t be fully felt or enjoyed by aged beneficiaries. Though nominal payouts have notably climbed in recent years, the painful reality is that the buying power of Social Security income simply isn’t what it once was.
For example, you might be surprised to learn that the CPI-W isn’t doing retirees any favors. While this index is designed to mirror the inflationary pressures that Social Security’s retired workers are contending with, it has built-in flaws that keep this from happening.
The CPI-W is an index that tracks the cost pressures faced by “urban wage earners and clerical workers,” who, in many cases, are workers under the age of 62. By comparison, 87% of Social Security beneficiaries are 62 and above, as of December 2024.
Aged beneficiaries spend their money differently than workers under the age of 62. Specifically, retirees spend a higher percentage of their budget on medical care services and shelter than younger folks. Even though seniors make up 87% of all Social Security recipients, the CPI-W doesn’t account for the added importance of shelter and medical-care service costs in the COLA calculation.
Furthermore, the trailing-12-month inflation rate for shelter and medical care services has pretty consistently been higher than the annual COLAs beneficiaries have received. According to TSCL, this disparity has played a role in reducing the buying power of Social Security income by 20% from 2010 to 2024. A 2.7% or 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment isn’t going to offset or halt this decline in purchasing power.
To make matters worse, dual enrollees — those receiving Social Security income who are also enrolled in traditional Medicare — are expected to see sizable COLA offsets due to a projected double-digit percentage increase in the Part B premium in 2026.
Part B is the portion of Medicare responsible for outpatient services, and the premium for Part B is commonly deducted from a Social Security recipient’s monthly benefit. An estimate from the 2025 Medicare Trustees Report calls for an 11.5% jump in the Part B premium to $206.20 next year. For lifetime low earners, this increase might gobble up every cent of their projected 2026 COLA.
Regardless of whether or not Social Security’s 2026 COLA is delayed, it’ll mark another year where retirees get the short end of the stick.
Most Social Security recipients will be able to avoid paying taxes on their benefits.
People spend years paying into the Social Security system via payroll taxes. It’s a way of helping to secure somewhat of a financial safety net in your retirement years when you begin receiving benefits. Even if you’re fortunate enough not to need it, it’s a well-earned plus after decades of work and contributions.
Unfortunately, like most other income sources in America, when you receive your Social Security payments, you could potentially owe taxes on them. The good news is that most states don’t tax Social Security benefits. The bad news is that this still leaves others that do. As of October 2025, 41 states do not tax Social Security.
Image source: Getty Images.
Which states don’t tax Social Security benefits?
The following 41 states, along with Washington, D.C., currently do not tax Social Security benefits:
In the past five years, four states have eliminated their Social Security tax, so there’s still hope for people who live in a state with the tax. For example, West Virginians won’t have to pay taxes on benefits beginning in 2026.
You could still owe federal taxes on your Social Security check
Unfortunately, your state’s tax-free status doesn’t exempt you from federal taxes on your Social Security check. Luckily, most people won’t pay anything; however, there are still millions who will. To determine if you’ll be subjected to federal taxes on your Social Security benefits, the IRS considers your combined income, which includes the following:
For example, if your AGI is $15,000, you receive $20,000 annually from Social Security, and you have $200 in nontaxable interest, your combined income would be $25,200 ($15,000 + $10,000 + $200). After calculating your combined income, the following ranges are used to determine how much of your benefits are eligible to be taxed:
Percentage of Taxable Benefits Added to Income
Filing Single
Married, Filing Jointly
0%
Less than $25,000
Less than $32,000
Up to 50%
$25,000 to $34,000
$32,000 to $44,000
Up to 85%
More than $34,000
More than $44,000
Source: IRS.
To see it in action, let’s assume you receive $20,000 annually in benefits, and 50% is eligible to be taxed. In this situation, up to $10,000 would be added to any other income you have and then taxed at your normal income tax rate. It’s helpful to know how the federal tax works, so you don’t mistakenly assume that the IRS is going to take 50% or 85% of your benefits.
Some retirees could see a larger tax deduction
The Trump administration’s “big, beautiful bill” included a provision that provides a temporary tax deduction for eligible people age 65 and older. Single filers are eligible for up to $6,000, while couples filing jointly are eligible for up to $12,000.
To qualify for the full $6,000 deduction, single filers must have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) below $75,000. If your MAGI is between $75,000 and $175,000, you’re eligible for a reduced deduction, with the amount depending on where your income falls in the range.
Couples filing jointly must have a MAGI below $150,000 to qualify for the full $12,000. Any couple with a MAGI between $150,000 and $250,000 is eligible for the reduced deduction.
This deduction will remain in place until 2028 and is available even if you take the standard deduction (which would otherwise prohibit you from itemizing your deductions).
The largest US city is among more than 2,000 other municipalities pursuing similar lawsuits.
Published On 8 Oct 20258 Oct 2025
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New York City has filed a lawsuit accusing Facebook, Google, Snapchat, TikTok and other online platforms of fuelling a mental health crisis among children by addicting them to social media.
The 327-page complaint filed on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan seeks damages from Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, Google and YouTube owner Alphabet, Snapchat owner Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance. It accused the defendants of gross negligence and causing a public nuisance.
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The city joined other governments, school districts and individuals pursuing about 2,050 similar lawsuits in nationwide litigation in the Oakland, California, federal court.
New York City is among the largest plaintiffs with a population of 8.48 million, including about 1.8 million under age 18. Its school and healthcare systems are also plaintiffs.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said allegations concerning YouTube are “simply not true”, in part because it is a streaming service and not a social network where people catch up with friends.
The other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for New York City’s law department said the city withdrew from litigation announced by Mayor Eric Adams in February 2024 and pending in California state courts so it could join the federal litigation.
According to Wednesday’s complaint, the defendants designed their platforms to “exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of youth” and drive compulsive use in pursuit of profit.
The complaint said 77.3 percent of New York City high school students admitted to spending three or more hours a day on “screen time” including TV, computers and smartphones, contributing to lost sleep and chronic school absences.
New York City’s health commissioner declared social media a public health hazard in January 2024, and the city, including its schools, has had to spend more taxpayer dollars to address the resulting youth mental health crisis, the complaint said.
The city also blamed social media for an increase in “subway surfing”, or riding atop or off the sides of moving trains. At least 16 subway surfers have died since 2023, including two girls aged 12 and 13 this month, police data show.
“Defendants should be held to account for the harms their conduct has inflicted,” the city said. “As it stands now, [the] plaintiffs are left to abate the nuisance and foot the bill.”
Millions of retirees are waiting to learn how their benefits could change next year.
The government has been shut down since Oct. 1, after Congress was unable to pass a funding bill for the new fiscal year that started this month. With severe disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, many government agencies will remain closed indefinitely. Only essential services are allowed to continue operating, and government workers who aren’t furloughed are expected to continue working without pay until the shutdown is resolved.
Thankfully for the 70 million Americans receiving monthly Social Security benefits, those payments are considered essential. And for many households that’s the absolute truth. An important aspect of the program for households relying on Social Security to make ends meet is the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. Without it, many of those recipients would find their finances falling behind the rising prices stemming from inflation.
While payments are continuing amid the shutdown, many may be wondering what it means for next year’s COLA.
Image source: Getty Images.
The key data provider for next year’s COLA is shut down
The Social Security Administration is in charge of calculating the annual COLA, but it relies on data provided by another government agency — the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Every month, the BLS publishes a report detailing changes in the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, which is one of the most common metrics used to assess inflation.
The annual COLA is based on a specific version of the CPI, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). The Social Security Administration takes the average increase in the CPI-W during the third quarter (July through September), and that number becomes the COLA for next year.
Unfortunately, the BLS is not considered an essential service. As a result, it’s not releasing new data, including the jobs report that was supposed to come out the first Friday of the month. The most recent update on its website simply states, “This website is currently not being updated due to the suspension of Federal government services.”
While we received an update on July and August’s CPI readings, September’s is currently scheduled for Oct. 15. If the government shutdown isn’t resolved by then, we’ll face a delay in the release of September’s CPI data, and, as a result, the 2026 COLA calculation. (Even if Congress resolves the shutdown earlier, it could take several days to compile the data and publish the report, resulting in a delay.)
The good news is the BLS likely completed its September data collection to get an accurate picture of price inflation during the last month of the quarter. BLS workers collect data throughout the month, dividing it into 10-day periods. With the government shutdown going into effect on Oct. 1, it likely collected all or most of the data needed to accurately calculate the CPI numbers for September.
That means the government shutdown is unlikely to have any impact on the 2026 COLA, even if the release of the information is delayed.
Here’s how big the 2026 COLA could be
Despite the potential delay, the 2026 Social Security COLA is shaping up to be a relatively large boost to benefits. As mentioned, we already have CPI reports for July and August, and those have provided a pretty clear picture on where inflation is heading.
The July CPI-W reading came in 2.5% higher than last year and the August reading climbed 2.8%. With fairly soft inflation over the summer last year, many expect the inflation rate continued accelerating in September. The Cleveland Fed’s NowCast estimates the September CPI-U reading (which is slightly different than the CPI-W used for the COLA) climbed 3%, up from 2.9% in August.
A similar bump in the CPI-W reading would result in a COLA of 2.7%. That’s in line with analyst expectations from The Senior Citizens League. Independent analyst Mary Johnson and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget project a 2.8% COLA.
Either way, Social Security beneficiaries are in line for a bigger raise than 2025’s 2.5% COLA. But that also means that prices have climbed faster this year, leaving many retirees trying to stretch their monthly payments further.
With most of the data available to make a fairly good guess as to what the 2026 COLA will be, retirees can start planning now even though the actual COLA release may be delayed due to the government shutdown.
