calendar2 pagesUpdated 2026-07-30
COLA Watch Calendar — When Each Agency Publishes Its New Numbers
Government pay and benefit figures change on a fixed annual rhythm: SSA announces the COLA in October, USDA's SNAP tables turn over October 1, VA rates take effect December 1, and OPM's General Schedule lands the first pay period of January. This calendar puts every publication date on one page.
Almost every figure on this site changes exactly once a year, and almost none of them change on the same day. The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is announced in mid-October and is the upstream number: it sets the Social Security increase, and by statute it sets the VA compensation increase too. But VA's rates do not take effect until December 1, which is why a back-pay span that crosses that date is paid at two different tables. Meanwhile USDA's fiscal year turned over on October 1 with entirely different figures, and OPM's pay tables will not appear until the executive order in late December.
Knowing the rhythm answers a surprisingly large share of the questions people arrive with. Whether a quoted figure was current depends on which side of a boundary the date fell on. Whether next year's number exists yet depends on which agency publishes it. Whether a difference between two calculators is an error or a rate-year gap is usually the latter. The calendar sets all of it out as dates rather than prose.
The sheet is a one-page annual grid plus a short note per agency naming the publication it appears in, so each date can be checked at the source. It pairs with the site's rule-pack policy: when a table drops, the pack is re-transcribed from the official source and the verification date on every affected page changes with it.
What's inside
The complete contents, listed in full — this is not a preview.
- October 1 — USDA FNS federal fiscal year turns over: new SNAP maximum allotments, income limits, standard deductions, and shelter caps
- Mid-October — SSA announces the cost-of-living adjustment, the upstream figure for both Social Security and VA compensation
- November — IRS inflation adjustments, including the TSP elective deferral, catch-up, and annual additions limits for the coming year
- December 1 — VA disability compensation rates take effect: the rate-year boundary that splits retroactive-pay calculations
- Late December into the first pay period of January — the pay executive order and OPM's General Schedule base and locality tables
- January 1 — DFAS military basic pay tables and the DoD Basic Allowance for Housing rates for the new year
- January — HHS publishes the federal poverty guidelines that SNAP, Medicaid, and marketplace thresholds key against
Who this is for
- Federal employees, retirees, veterans, and benefit recipients who want to know when a figure will actually change
- Anyone checking a quoted amount against the table that was in force on the date it was quoted
- People planning around rate years — retroactive-pay spans, effective dates, and contribution-limit changes
- Writers, HR staff, and representatives who need the annual publication schedule in one reference
Free by email
COLA Watch Calendar — When Each Agency Publishes Its New Numbers
Enter your email and confirm the double opt-in link — the document is sent straight back. You are also added to COLA Watch, one email when the official numbers change. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The calendar arrives by email once you confirm the double opt-in link. Subscribers also receive the one-line note each time a table on this site is re-verified against its official source, which is the point of the list: the calendar tells you when to expect a change, the email confirms it has landed.
Official sources this resource draws on
Calculators that go with it
VA Pay Chart 2026
The complete 2026 VA disability pay chart, effective December 1, 2025: monthly compensation for every rating from 10% to 100% and every dependent status — veteran alone, with spouse, with children, with parents — plus added amounts, transcribed from VA.gov and verified.
GS Pay Scale 2026
The complete 2026 General Schedule pay scale: the base table for all 15 grades and 10 steps, plus a dedicated page for each of the 58 locality pay areas with its exact percentage and full adjusted table, transcribed directly from the official OPM XML tables and verified.
Military Pay 2026
The complete 2026 military basic pay chart, effective January 1, 2026: monthly rates for every enlisted, warrant officer, and officer grade across all years-of-service columns, transcribed from the official DFAS pay tables and verified — including the Executive Schedule caps at the top grades.
SNAP Screener
Answer a few questions about your household — size, income, and expenses — and see whether you would likely pass the FY2026 SNAP gross and net income tests, plus an estimated monthly benefit from the USDA formula. Everything runs in your browser; your state agency makes every actual eligibility decision.
Educational reference material — not legal, financial, or benefits advice, and not an application or a determination. The agencies linked above decide every actual outcome.