Who is Eligible for a COLA in 2026?
Members are eligible for a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) if they retired and were receiving a COLA by June 30, 2012.
Members of ninety-five municipal (MERS) pension plans will receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2026. For a full list, click here.
To be eligible for annual COLA, members who meet age and length of retirement requirements must also be retirees of a plan that offers COLA and has a funding level that exceeds 75%, as determined by the actuary as of the prior year’s Actuarial Valuation. The most current Actuarial Valuations for all plans (as of 6/30/2025) are available on the ERSRI website – for MERS plans, refer to Table 7, Column 8 in the 2025 valuation for your employer’s funded ratio.
For retirees of all COLA-eligible plans that are less than 75% funded, a 25% COLA (1/4th of the calculated COLA) is paid every year.
In addition, current eligible beneficiaries of the Teachers’ Survivor Benefit receive the same COLA granted to members of Social Security. The increase, which begins in January 2026, is 2.8% as announced by the Social Security Administration in late 2025.
COLA for State Police and Judges is currently suspended until aggregate State funding status reaches 75% or higher. Until that time, a COLA is paid every 4 years. Eligible members received a 4-year COLA in 2025 and are scheduled to receive a 4-year COLA in 2029.
Click here to read more about 2026 COLA (including how it is calculated).
