Several changes are coming for Social Security recipients in 2026.
More than 1.3 million people in Wisconsin receive Social Security benefits, and about another 100,000 people are on the Supplemental Security Income program, which supports those with low incomes, particularly disabled adults and seniors.
From a cost-of-living adjustment to an increase in the full retirement age, here’s what changes Wisconsin’s Social Security recipients can expect in the new year:
Modest Social Security cost-of-living adjustment coming in 2026
Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income payments will increase by 2.8% come January 2026, the agency announced Oct. 24. That amounts to, on average, a $56 monthly increase in retirement benefits.
The adjustment is higher than the 2025 increase of 2.5%, but falls below the average Social Security cost-of-living adjustment of 3.1% over the past decade. It’s also below the annual inflation rate of 3%, and rising Medicare premiums next year are likely to offset the increase for many seniors, USA TODAY reported.
Full retirement age will go up in 2026
While benefits are going up, the full retirement age for Social Security is also increasing in 2026.
You can begin filing for monthly Social Security benefits at 62, but won’t receive full benefits if you start filing at that age. Instead, the agency sets a full retirement age each year, and people can increase their monthly benefits by waiting until they’re at least that age to claim Social Security.
For example, people who filed for Social Security at the minimum age of 62 in 2025 received a maximum of $2,831 in monthly benefits, according to the Social Security Administration. However, people who retired at the full retirement age were eligible for maximum benefits of $4,018. And people who waited past full retirement age and claimed benefits at age 70 received up to $5,108 this year.
Here are the full retirement ages for people born in 1943 and later:
Social Security work credit requirements will increase in 2026
To qualify for Social Security payments when you retire, you need to accumulate 40 “work credits” throughout your life. Each credit represents a certain amount in earnings, and people can earn a maximum of four credits per year, according to the Social Security Administration.
The value of a work credit increases annually. In 2026, it will be $1,890 per credit, up from $1,810 in 2025. You must earn $7,560 in 2026 to get four full credits for the year. The annual change especially impacts part-time workers and people who are full-time caregivers or parents.
Some workers will pay more Social Security taxes in 2026
A majority of the revenue for Social Security comes from payroll taxes that everyone pays, and a wage cap is set each year to determine the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax, according to the Social Security Administration.
Most employers and employees must pay 6.2% of their earnings to Social Security, and the wage cap is increasing again this year, so if you earn enough, you may pay more in 2026.
In 2026, the wage cap is increasing from $176,100 to $184,500. In other words, workers who make $184,500 per year pay the same amount in Social Security taxes as workers who make $1 million.
Social Security has stopped issuing paper checks
Paper checks for Social Security benefits are officially a thing of the past.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending the issuance of paper checks by the federal government, effective Sept. 30. Many Social Security beneficiaries already use the electronic payment system, but starting in October, recipients had to set up direct deposit to a bank account or a Direct Express Debit Mastercard to get payments.
When do Social Security and SSI payments go out in 2026?
Social Security payments are distributed on a certain Wednesday each month depending on the recipient’s birthday.
Supplemental Security Income payments are issued issued on the first of the month, unless that falls on a weekend or federal holiday. Since Jan. 1 is New Year’s Day, Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will receive their first 2026 payment on Dec. 31, 2025.
See the agency’s 2026 schedule for a complete list of next year’s payment dates.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here are the changes coming for Wisconsin Social Security recipients in 2026
Reporting by Maia Pandey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
