Q & A
COLA was 0% in 2009 and 2010? I thought it was 2010 and 2011?
Complete Question: The other day you answered someone’s question about whether or not COLA can be 0%. In your answer, you mentioned that COLA was recently 0% in 2009 and 2010. I’m 72 and have been on Social Security for 9 years now. Maybe I’m remembering wrong, but I thought COLA was 0% in 2010 and 2011?
Answer: I am glad you brought this up because the technicality of it can be confusing. If you look at the history of COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) increases as per the Social Security Administration (SSA), you will see that the COLA was 0% in 2009 and 2010. Social Security beneficiaries like yourself, however, felt the impact in 2010 and 2011. The reason for this is because the annual COLA goes into effect for Social Security benefits payable in December and SSI benefits payable in January. So even though that first 0% was effective for most of 2010, the SSA calls it the 2009 COLA.
So you are actually correct. It’s merely a technicality in how the SSA defines it, but nonetheless important to clarify to beneficiaries such as yourself.