What the 2014 COLA increase was

In 2014, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments increased by 1.7 percent. This was the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, that Social Security applies each January to keep benefits roughly in line with inflation. The 1.7 percent figure was based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) measured from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013.

If you were receiving SSDI in January 2014, your monthly payment went up automatically. You did not have to request it or take any action. The increase appeared in your January payment.

The exact dollar amount of your increase depended on what you were receiving before the adjustment. Someone getting $1,000 per month would have seen roughly a $17 increase; someone getting $1,500 would have seen roughly $25 more. The percentage was the same for everyone, but the dollar amount varied based on each person's individual benefit.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2014 COLA was 1.7 percent, applied automatically to all SSDI payments in January 2014.
  • Your increase was based on your existing monthly benefit amount, so higher payments received larger dollar increases.
  • The adjustment was calculated using inflation data from mid-2012 through mid-2013.
  • You did not need to do anything to receive the increase—it was added to your account automatically.

How the COLA is calculated each year

Social Security calculates the annual COLA by measuring inflation using a specific tool: the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. This index tracks the cost of goods and services that working people buy—food, housing, transportation, medical care, and other everyday expenses. Social Security looks at the index for three specific months: July, August, and September of the previous year, and compares it to the same three months from the year before that.

If inflation went up during that period, the COLA goes up. If inflation was flat or negative, the COLA is zero or does not happen. In 2014, inflation had been modest, which is why the increase was relatively small at 1.7 percent. In other years, when inflation was higher, the COLA was larger.

Congress does not vote on the COLA each year. The adjustment is automatic, set by law. Social Security announces the new COLA in October, and it takes effect the following January for all beneficiaries.

Who received the 2014 increase

Anyone who was receiving SSDI in January 2014 received the 1.7 percent increase. This included people who had been on SSDI for many years and people who had recently been approved. It also included people receiving benefits as a disabled worker, as well as family members receiving benefits based on a disabled worker's record—such as a spouse or child.

The increase was also applied to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, which is a separate program but uses the same COLA. If you were receiving both SSDI and SSI, both payments increased.

If you were not yet receiving benefits in January 2014—for example, if you were approved in February 2014—your first payment would already include the 2014 COLA. You would not receive a separate increase later.

What changed after 2014

The COLA has varied significantly since 2014. In 2015, there was no COLA at all because inflation was essentially flat. In 2016, there was also no COLA. In 2017, the COLA returned at 0.3 percent. By 2021 and 2022, inflation rose sharply, and the COLA reached 5.9 percent and then 8.7 percent—the largest increases in decades.

The 2014 COLA of 1.7 percent was modest by historical standards. It reflected a period of relatively low inflation in the United States. The year-to-year COLA is always uncertain because it depends on inflation, which changes based on economic conditions that no one can predict with certainty.

How to find your 2014 payment records

If you need to know what your SSDI payment was in 2014, you can contact Social Security directly. Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to speak with a representative, or visit your local Social Security office in person. You can also create an account on ssa.gov and view your payment history online through your "my Social Security" account.

Your Social Security Statement, which you can view or print from your online account, shows your payment history month by month. This record is useful if you need to verify your income for a loan, a housing process, or other purposes that require proof of past benefits.

Why COLA matters for long-term SSDI recipients

Over many years, even small COLAs add up. Someone who received SSDI for 20 or 30 years saw their monthly payment grow through dozens of annual adjustments. The 2014 increase of 1.7 percent was small in that single year, but it was part of a long chain of adjustments that helped keep benefits from losing value to inflation.

However, COLA does not always keep pace with actual costs that disabled people face. Medical expenses, in particular, often rise faster than the general inflation rate that the CPI-W measures. Some people on SSDI report that their benefits do not stretch as far as they once did, even with the annual adjustments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did everyone get the same dollar amount increase in 2014?

No. Everyone got the same percentage increase (1.7 percent), but the dollar amount depended on what you were already receiving. A person getting $800 per month received a smaller dollar increase than a person getting $1,200 per month, even though both received 1.7 percent more.

What if I was approved for SSDI after January 2014?

Your first payment would already reflect the 2014 COLA. You would not receive a separate increase later that year. The COLA is built into the benefit amount from the moment you start receiving payments.

Can I find out what my exact payment was in 2014?

Yes. Log into your my Social Security account at ssa.gov, or call 1-800-772-1213 to speak with a representative. Your payment history shows month-by-month records going back several years.

Does the COLA happen every year?

The COLA is calculated every year, but it is not always positive. If inflation is flat or negative, there is no increase that year. This happened in 2015 and 2016, when there was no COLA at all.