Normally, the 2026 Social Security COLA would be announced on Oct. 15. Retirees might have to wait longer than expected to find out their 2026 Social Security COLA. If no BLS inflation data is released on Oct. 15, SSA won't be able to calculate the 2026 Social Security COLA. Social Security payments won't be haltedImportantly, people's actual monthly Social Security payments won't be impacted by the federal government shutdown. We'll know the exact amount of next year's Social Security COLA... sometime.