Data study · retirement · Social Security
Social Security COLA 2027
Every year Social Security raises benefits to keep up with inflation. This page tracks the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment, shows what the 2026 increase did to checks, and lists every COLA since 2001.
- 2027 COLA Oct 14 expected announcement
- 2026 COLA 2.8% paid from January 2026
- Average retired benefit $2,071 a month, 2026
- 10-year average COLA 3.1% 2017–2026
The 2027 COLA hasn’t been announced yet. It is expected on October 14, 2026, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes September inflation. Until then, no one knows the final number, and any figure you see is an estimate.
What a COLA does to your check
Enter your monthly benefit before the increase and a COLA percentage.
When the 2027 COLA will be announced
The COLA is set by a formula, so it’s announced as soon as the last input is published. That input is the September Consumer Price Index, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release on October 14, 2026, at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. Social Security usually announces the COLA the same day. The increase then appears in checks paid in January 2027, and in SSI payments that arrive on December 31, 2026.
How the COLA is calculated
Social Security takes the average of the CPI-W, a version of the Consumer Price Index based on the spending of wage earners, for July, August and September. It compares that with the same three-month average from the year before. The percentage change, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent, is the COLA. When that change is zero or negative, as in 2010, 2011, 2016, there is no increase, but benefits don’t get cut either.
What the 2026 COLA of 2.8% did to checks
| Benefit in 2025 | Benefit in 2026 | Raise per month | Raise per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $1,028 | $28 | $336 |
| $1,500 | $1,542 | $42 | $504 |
| $2,015 (average) | $2,071 | $56 | $672 |
| $2,500 | $2,570 | $70 | $840 |
| $3,000 | $3,084 | $84 | $1,008 |
| $4,000 | $4,112 | $112 | $1,344 |
Social Security rounds monthly benefits down to the whole dollar. Medicare Part B premiums, usually taken out of the check, rose from $185.00 to $202.90 a month in 2026, which ate part of the raise for most retirees.
Other Social Security numbers for 2026
| Maximum benefit at full retirement age | $4,152 a month |
| Average retired worker | $2,071 a month |
| Average retired couple | $3,208 a month |
| Taxable maximum (earnings subject to Social Security tax) | $184,500, up from $176,100 |
| Earnings limit before full retirement age | $24,480 a year ($1 withheld for every $2 above) |
| Earnings limit in the year you reach full retirement age | $65,160 a year ($1 withheld for every $3 above) |
| SSI federal payment | $994 individual, $1,491 couple, per month |
| Earnings for one work credit | $1,890 |
| Medicare Part B standard premium | $202.90 a month (deductible $283) |
Social Security COLA by year, 2001–2026
Over these 26 years the COLA averaged 2.6%, and over the last ten it averaged 3.1%. The largest was 8.7% in 2023. There was no increase at all in 2010, 2011, 2016.
Years are when the increase first appears in January checks. Social Security’s own table lists each COLA under the December before.
Does the COLA keep up with inflation?
It tracks it closely but not exactly. The COLA uses the CPI-W, which weights spending the way working households spend, while retirees spend more on health care and housing. The raise also arrives with a lag: the 2026 increase reflects prices through September 2025, so a sudden jump in prices hits retirees months before their checks catch up. See how prices have moved in the inflation rate by year.
Social Security COLA 2027 — FAQ
What is the Social Security COLA for 2027?
It hasn’t been announced yet. The 2027 COLA depends on inflation through September 2026, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the last number needed on October 14, 2026. The Social Security Administration normally announces the COLA that same morning.
When will the 2027 COLA be announced?
The September 2026 Consumer Price Index comes out on October 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time, and the COLA can be worked out from it. The 2026 COLA was announced on October 24, 2025, later than usual because the government shutdown delayed that year’s inflation data.
When will I see the 2027 increase?
Social Security beneficiaries see it in their January 2027 payment. People who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) see it at the end of December 2026, because the January SSI payment is paid early when January 1 is a holiday.
How is the COLA calculated?
Social Security compares the average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for July, August and September with the same three months a year earlier. The percentage increase, rounded to the nearest tenth, is the COLA. If prices didn’t rise, there is no COLA, and benefits don’t go down.
How much was the 2026 COLA?
The 2026 COLA was 2.8%. The average retired worker’s benefit went from about $2,015 to $2,071 a month.
What was the biggest COLA ever?
Since 2001, the biggest was 8.7% in 2023, after inflation hit a 40-year high in 2022. The largest on record is 14.3% in 1980.
Other yearly money numbers
Source & method
COLA history is from the Social Security Administration’s COLA table, shifted to the year each increase is first paid. 2026 figures are from SSA’s 2026 fact sheet and the CMS Medicare premium announcement. The CPI release date is from the BLS schedule. Benefit examples apply the COLA and round down to the dollar, as SSA does.
Data: Social Security Administration. Our tables, charts and text are licensed CC BY-NC 4.0: share and adapt them for non-commercial use as long as you credit us. For commercial use or bulk data, use the APIVerve API. See the data terms. Cite as: Digest Your Finances, “Social Security COLA by Year”, https://digestyourfinances.com/studies/social-security-cola/ — based on Social Security Administration. CC BY-NC 4.0.
