The Social Security COLA 2012 Increase
The 2012 Social Security COLA or Cost of Living Adjustment will increase the Social Security Income of more that 60 millions American to 3.6 percent. This adjustment was based on the rise in the Consumer Price Index over the past three years. These calculations are specifically based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers or the CPI-W. The estimations are usually made monthly and then averaged out for the last quarter of the current year, over that of the COLA average for the last quarter of the previous year; or year in which the COLA was considered effective. This was why the COLA rates for 2008 were used.
Legislation for COLA was enacted in 1973 on behalf of Americans on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. Increases were made to social security benefits to adjust for the rates of Inflation. Historically, the COLA rates do not tend to be as high as the first one assessed in 1975, with the exceptions for the years between 1979-1981. The COLA rates for 2010 and 2011 were assessed at 0 percent, for the very first time.
It is important to know that established benefit rates, or Primary Insurance Amounts, are given to people who retire at the normal retirement age. Those choosing to do so early will have lower benefit amounts, and therefore a lower cost of living increase. Conversely, someone entitled to social security benefits would enjoy a larger PIA and COLA, if they retired later than the normal retirement age.
The Social Security COLA 2012 increase is welcome news for so many Americans, currently on Social Security Income. This is particularly true when taking into consideration that the premiums for Medicare or Supplementary Medical Insurance or SMI have also increased, and Medicare is always subtracted from the PIA.
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