2027 Social Security COLA (Cost-of-Living Adjustment): Official 3.6% Increase

The Official 2027 Social Security COLA Is 3.6%

The 2027 Social Security COLA is 3.6%, announced by the SSA on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The average retired worker gets roughly $75 more a month, and more than 75 million Americans will see the increase, according to CBS News. Payments rise in January 2027, or starting December 31, 2026, for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients.

On a $2,000 monthly check, 3.6% adds $72, for a new benefit of $2,072 a month and $864 more over a year. On a $1,500 check, the raise is $54, bringing it to $1,554. To estimate your own raise, multiply your current monthly benefit by 0.036.

Medicare has not announced its 2027 premiums, so your net raise is not final. The 2026 Trustees Report projects the standard Part B premium rising $6.60, from $202.90 to $209.50. On the $2,000 example, that leaves $72.00 minus $6.60, or $65.40 a month before other deductions.

At 3.6%, this is the largest COLA since 2023, above 3.2% for 2024, 2.5% for 2025, and 2.8% for 2026. It also matches the top of the 3.4% to 3.6% range forecasters published before the announcement. Read the official notice on the SSA COLA page, then enter your new benefit in our Social Security retirement calculator.

Forecasts Before the 2027 Social Security COLA Announcement

Before the October 14, 2026 announcement, forecasters put the 2027 COLA at roughly 3.4% to 3.6%. Three published numbers made up that range.

• AARP projected 3.6%, which would have raised the average retired worker's benefit by about $75 a month.
• The Senior Citizens League projected 3.5%, which 24/7 Wall St. calls "a forecast rather than an official number."
• 24/7 Wall St. calculated roughly 3.4% if September's CPI-W equals August's reading of 328.481.

AARP's forecast uses CPI-W data from October 2025 through August 2026, plus Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland projections for September. In August, CPI-W was 3.5% higher than a year earlier.

The BLS posted September CPI-W at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and the official 2027 COLA followed that release. The raise takes effect with January 2027 payments.

How the Social Security COLA Is Calculated

The Social Security COLA is based on how much CPI-W changes in the third quarter (July, August, and September) compared with the same three months a year earlier. The September CPI-W release is the one that closes out the quarter.

Before the announcement, July and August 2026 were already published, and September was the last missing input, so forecasters filled it in. AARP uses a Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland projection for that month.

24/7 Wall St. puts the result at roughly 3.4% if the September CPI-W matches August's 328.481.

What 3.4%, 3.5%, and 3.6% Look Like on a $2,000 Check

The official 3.6% COLA on a $2,000 monthly benefit adds $72 a month, raising the check to $2,072. Over 12 months, that comes to $864 a year.

The pre-announcement forecast range moved the result by a few dollars:

• At 3.4%, $2,000 rises by $68 to $2,068 a month, or $816 a year.
• At 3.5%, $2,000 rises by $70 to $2,070 a month, or $840 a year.
• At 3.6% (the official COLA), $2,000 rises by $72 to $2,072 a month, or $864 a year.

To estimate your own raise, multiply your current monthly benefit by the percentage. A $1,500 check at 3.6% gains $54 a month.

The average retired worker received $2,071 a month after the 2026 COLA. At 3.6%, that average rises by about $74.56, which lines up with AARP's estimate of about $75. You can model your own benefit in our Social Security retirement calculator.

Why the Net Raise Can Look Smaller After Medicare Part B

Your deposit can rise by less than the COLA because most Medicare Part B enrollees have the premium deducted from their Social Security benefit. When the premium goes up, the increase comes out of the raise.

The standard Part B premium was $185.00 in 2025 and is $202.90 in 2026. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects $209.50 for 2027, an increase of $6.60, or about 3.3%. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets the final amount later.

On the $2,000 example, the math runs like this:

• Gross COLA at 3.6%: +$72.00 a month
• Part B increase from $202.90 to $209.50: minus $6.60 a month
• Net monthly gain: $65.40

This is a simplified illustration. It leaves out other deductions, such as taxes on benefits or a Part D premium, and the 2027 premium is not set yet.

The hold-harmless rule generally limits your Part B increase to the dollar increase in your Social Security benefit. In the $2,000 example, the $72 raise is much larger than the $6.60 premium increase, so the cap would not apply. The rule does not cover everyone, including new enrollees and some people who pay the income-related amounts.

Higher-income enrollees pay an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) as a surcharge on Part B. In 2026, the surcharge starts above $109,000 of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) for individuals, or $218,000 for married couples filing jointly. About 8% of beneficiaries pay these amounts.

2027 premiums generally use 2025 income. Pull your 2025 tax return and compare your MAGI to those 2026 thresholds to see whether a surcharge could shrink your net raise further.

Past Social Security COLAs Compared with the 2027 COLA

The official 2027 COLA of 3.6% sits above each of the three prior COLAs.

• 2024: 3.2%
• 2025: 2.5%
• 2026: 2.8%
• 2027: 3.6% (official)

The 2026 COLA of 2.8% took effect in January 2026. It raised the average monthly retired-worker benefit by about $56, from $2,015 to $2,071.

Part B rose $17.90 that same year, from $185.00 to $202.90. For someone with the average benefit paying the standard premium, that left a net gain of about $38.10 a month before other deductions. For 2027, the projected Part B increase is $6.60, which takes a smaller share of a larger raise.

What to Do Now That the 2027 Social Security COLA Is Announced

Now that the official 2027 COLA of 3.6% is out, redo the math on your own check with the real percentage.

1. Open the SSA COLA page and confirm the official percentage.
2. Multiply your current monthly benefit by that percentage to get your gross monthly raise.
3. Subtract the Part B increase. Use the $6.60 Trustees projection until CMS sets the final 2027 premium.
4. If your 2025 MAGI was above the 2026 IRMAA thresholds, a surcharge could raise your premium above the standard amount.
5. Read our guide to whether Social Security is taxable and our list of states that tax Social Security to see what share of the raise you keep after taxes.

The $65.40 example fits someone paying the standard Part B premium. If you are a new Medicare enrollee in 2027 or pay income-related amounts, the hold-harmless rule may not apply to you, so redo the subtraction with your own premium.

If you have not started benefits yet, compare claiming ages in the Social Security break-even calculator.

To see your own 2027 amount, enter your current benefit in the Social Security COLA calculator. For other groups, read how much SSDI goes up in 2027, the 2027 SSI payment amounts, what the 2027 COLA is for FERS, CSRS and military retirees, and every other 2027 Social Security change.

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