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Simple English definitions for legal terms
cost-of-living adjustment
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A quick definition of cost-of-living adjustment:
Term: COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT
Definition: A cost-of-living adjustment is when the amount of money someone gets paid goes up or down based on how much things cost. The government keeps track of how much things cost and uses that information to decide how much money should be paid. This is usually used for support or maintenance payments between two parties. It is often abbreviated as COLA.
A more thorough explanation:
A cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is an automatic increase or decrease in the amount of money paid by one party to another, usually for support or maintenance. The adjustment is tied to the cost-of-living-adjustment figures maintained and updated by the federal government.
For example, if a person is receiving alimony payments from their ex-spouse, the agreement may include a COLA clause that adjusts the amount of the payments based on changes in the cost of living. If the cost of living goes up, the alimony payments will increase accordingly.
Another example is Social Security benefits. The government provides a COLA each year to adjust the amount of benefits to keep up with inflation and changes in the cost of living.
These examples illustrate how a COLA works to ensure that payments keep up with the changing cost of living. It helps to prevent the recipient from experiencing a decrease in their standard of living due to inflation.