COLA 2027: Social Security benefits rise 3.6% in January
It is official: Social Security and SSI benefits for about 76 million Americans go up 3.6% in 2027. Enter your current monthly benefit to see your new amount. SSI recipients get the increase on December 31, 2026; Social Security beneficiaries in their January 2027 payment.
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Social Security 2027 COLA increase chart
Monthly benefit before and after the 3.6% COLA. SSA pays whole dollars, so cents are dropped.
| Benefit in 2026 | Benefit in 2027 | Raise per month | Raise per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $800 | $828 | +$28 | +$336 |
| $1,000 | $1,036 | +$36 | +$432 |
| $1,200 | $1,243 | +$43 | +$516 |
| $1,500 | $1,554 | +$54 | +$648 |
| $1,800 | $1,864 | +$64 | +$768 |
| $2,000 | $2,072 | +$72 | +$864 |
| $2,200 | $2,279 | +$79 | +$948 |
| $2,500 | $2,590 | +$90 | +$1,080 |
| $3,000 | $3,108 | +$108 | +$1,296 |
| $3,500 | $3,626 | +$126 | +$1,512 |
| $4,000 | $4,144 | +$144 | +$1,728 |
| $4,152 (max. at FRA) | $4,301 | +$149 | +$1,788 |
The maximum benefit for a worker retiring at full retirement age in January 2027 is $4,188 – that is a new retiree's figure, computed from the 2027 formula, not $4,152 plus the COLA.
Average benefits before and after the COLA
| Who | Before | After 3.6% | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All retired workers | $2,095 | $2,170 | +$75 |
| Aged couple, both receiving benefits | $3,238 | $3,355 | +$117 |
| Widowed mother and two children | $3,932 | $4,074 | +$142 |
| Aged widow(er) alone | $1,936 | $2,005 | +$69 |
| Disabled worker, spouse and one or more children | $2,970 | $3,077 | +$107 |
| All disabled workers | $1,642 | $1,701 | +$59 |
Estimated average monthly benefits payable in January 2027 (SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet).
What else changes in 2027
| Amount | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum taxable earnings (Social Security) | $184,500 | $192,300 |
| Quarter of coverage | $1,890 | $1,970 |
| Earnings test, under full retirement age$1 withheld for every $2 above | $24,480/yr ($2,040/mo) | $25,560/yr ($2,130/mo) |
| Earnings test, year you reach full retirement age$1 withheld for every $3 above, months before FRA | $65,160/yr ($5,430/mo) | $67,920/yr ($5,660/mo) |
| Substantial gainful activity (SGA), non-blind | $1,690/mo | $1,770/mo |
| Substantial gainful activity (SGA), blind | $2,830/mo | $2,950/mo |
| Trial work period month | $1,210/mo | $1,270/mo |
| Maximum benefit, worker retiring at full retirement age | $4,152/mo | $4,188/mo |
| SSI federal payment, individual | $994/mo | $1,029/mo |
| SSI federal payment, couple | $1,491/mo | $1,544/mo |
| SSI resource limit, individual / couple | $2,000 / $3,000 | $2,000 / $3,000 |
| SSI student exclusion, monthly / annual | $2,410 / $9,730 | $2,500 / $10,080 |
| Payroll tax, employee / self-employed | 7.65% / 15.30% | 7.65% / 15.30% |
| Medicare Part B standard premium | $202.90/mo | not yet announced |
| Medicare Part B deductible | $283/yr | not yet announced |
When the 2027 increase arrives
The COLA is effective with benefits for December 2026, and Social Security pays each month's benefit in the following month – so the first bigger payment is the one that arrives in January 2027. Which day depends on your birthday, as always: born on the 1st–10th of the month, the second Wednesday (January 13, 2027); 11th–20th, the third Wednesday (January 20); 21st–31st, the fourth Wednesday (January 27).
People who started benefits before May 1997, or who get both Social Security and SSI, are paid on the 3rd. January 3, 2027 is a Sunday and January 1 is a federal holiday, so under SSA's rule (a payment due on a weekend or holiday is made on the business day before) that payment comes on Thursday, December 31, 2026. SSI's January payment, due on the 1st, is also made on December 31, 2026 – SSA's own announcement says the increased SSI payments begin that day.
How the 3.6% was calculated
By law (section 215(i) of the Social Security Act) the COLA follows the CPI-W, the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers that the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes every month. SSA averages the index for July, August and September and compares it with the same average from the last year a COLA was paid.
| CPI-W (1982–84 = 100) | July | August | September | Q3 average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 316.349 | 317.306 | 318.139 | 317.265 |
| 2026 | 327.104 | 328.481 | 330.654 | 328.746 |
328.746 ÷ 317.265 − 1 = 3.62%, rounded to the nearest tenth: 3.6%. The same index was 327.104 in July 2026 against 316.349 a year earlier – prices for the goods wage earners buy rose faster in the spring of 2026 than in 2025, which is why the COLA is larger than the 2.8% paid for 2026.
Note that BLS did not publish an October 2025 index (data were not collected during the lapse in appropriations); that gap does not affect the 2027 COLA, which uses only the third-quarter months.
Medicare Part B and your net increase
Most retirees have the Medicare Part B premium deducted from their Social Security payment, so the amount that reaches the bank is the benefit minus the premium. For 2026 the standard premium is $202.90 a month and the deductible $283. The 2027 premium has not been announced yet; the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services normally publishes it in October or November, and your December COLA notice will show both the new benefit and the new deduction. People with higher incomes (IRMAA) pay more; Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program can pay the premium for people with low incomes.
The "hold harmless" provision protects most beneficiaries: if the premium rises by more than their COLA in dollars, the premium increase is limited so their net Social Security payment does not fall. It does not apply to new enrollees, to people whose premium is paid by Medicaid, or to higher-income beneficiaries who pay IRMAA.
Working while getting benefits in 2027
If you are younger than full retirement age for all of 2027, SSA withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 you earn above $25,560 ($2,130 a month). In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit is $67,920 and SSA withholds $1 for every $3 above it, counting only the months before your birthday month. From the month you reach full retirement age there is no limit. Withheld benefits are not lost – your benefit is recalculated upward at full retirement age.
Workers pay Social Security tax (6.2%, plus 1.45% Medicare) on earnings up to $192,300 in 2027, up from $184,500. One credit (quarter of coverage) takes $1,970 of earnings; four credits a year is the maximum and 40 credits qualify you for retirement benefits.
SSI in 2027
The federal SSI payment standard rises to $1,029 a month for an individual and $1,544 for a couple (from $994 and $1,491). The resource limits stay at $2,000 and $3,000 – they are fixed in law and do not follow the COLA. Many states add a supplement on top of the federal amount. More on SSDI and SSI in 2027.
Veterans and federal retirees
VA disability compensation has followed the Social Security COLA every year: Congress passes a Veterans' Compensation COLA Act that ties the increase to the Social Security percentage. See the 2027 VA COLA and estimated rate table. Federal retirees under CSRS receive the full CPI-W increase; FERS retirees receive the same COLA when it is 2% or less, 2% when it is between 2% and 3%, and the COLA minus one point when it is above 3% – under that rule, a 3.6% COLA works out to 2.6% for FERS annuities (OPM announces the exact figures).
Social Security COLA history
Year the increase was first paid (1975–1982: July; since 1984: January). Source: SSA.
| Paid from | COLA | Paid from | COLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | 3.6% | January 2001 | 3.5% |
| January 2026 | 2.8% | January 2000 | 2.5% |
| January 2025 | 2.5% | January 1999 | 1.3% |
| January 2024 | 3.2% | January 1998 | 2.1% |
| January 2023 | 8.7% | January 1997 | 2.9% |
| January 2022 | 5.9% | January 1996 | 2.6% |
| January 2021 | 1.3% | January 1995 | 2.8% |
| January 2020 | 1.6% | January 1994 | 2.6% |
| January 2019 | 2.8% | January 1993 | 3.0% |
| January 2018 | 2.0% | January 1992 | 3.7% |
| January 2017 | 0.3% | January 1991 | 5.4% |
| January 2016 | 0.0% | January 1990 | 4.7% |
| January 2015 | 1.7% | January 1989 | 4.0% |
| January 2014 | 1.5% | January 1988 | 4.2% |
| January 2013 | 1.7% | January 1987 | 1.3% |
| January 2012 | 3.6% | January 1986 | 3.1% |
| January 2011 | 0.0% | January 1985 | 3.5% |
| January 2010 | 0.0% | January 1984 | 3.5% |
| January 2009 | 5.8% | July 1982 | 7.4% |
| January 2008 | 2.3% | July 1981 | 11.2% |
| January 2007 | 3.3% | July 1980 | 14.3% |
| January 2006 | 4.1% | July 1979 | 9.9% |
| January 2005 | 2.7% | July 1978 | 6.5% |
| January 2004 | 2.1% | July 1977 | 5.9% |
| January 2003 | 1.4% | July 1976 | 6.4% |
| January 2002 | 2.6% | July 1975 | 8.0% |
The December 1999 COLA was first set at 2.4% and is effectively 2.5% under Public Law 106-554 (SSA). There was no automatic COLA paid in 1983: the 1983 amendments moved it from July to January.
COLA 2027 questions
What is the COLA for 2027?
3.6%. The Social Security Administration announced it on October 14, 2026, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics published the September 2026 consumer price index. It applies to Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits and to Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
When will I get the 2027 COLA?
Social Security beneficiaries see it in the payment for December 2026, which arrives in January 2027. SSI recipients get it first: the January 2027 SSI payment is made on December 31, 2026 because January 1 is a holiday.
How much will my Social Security check go up in 2027?
Multiply your current monthly benefit by 1.036 and drop the cents. A $1,500 benefit becomes $1,554, $2,000 becomes $2,072, $3,000 becomes $3,108. SSA's estimate for the average retired worker is a rise from $2,095 to $2,170 a month.
Will the Medicare Part B premium eat my COLA?
Part of it may. The 2027 Part B premium has not been announced yet – the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services usually publishes it in the fall (the 2026 premium, $202.90, was announced on November 14, 2025). The premium is deducted from your Social Security payment, so your net raise is the COLA minus any increase in the premium. A "hold harmless" rule stops the premium increase from lowering most people's net benefit.
How is the COLA calculated?
It is the percentage increase in the average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for July, August and September over the same three months of the last year a COLA was paid, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. If the index did not rise, there is no COLA.
Is the 2027 COLA bigger than 2026?
Yes. 2026 was 2.8% and 2025 was 2.5%; 2027's 3.6% is the largest since 2024 (3.2%). The record remains 14.3% in 1980; in 2010, 2011 and 2016 there was no COLA at all.
Does the COLA count as taxable income?
The COLA is part of your benefit, so it counts the same way: up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be federally taxable when your combined income is above $25,000 (single) or $32,000 (married filing jointly). Those thresholds are fixed in law and are not raised by the COLA. SSI is not taxable.
Do I need to apply for the COLA?
No. It is applied automatically. SSA mails a COLA notice in December and posts it in the Message Center of your my Social Security account from late November 2026.
More on 2027 benefits
Sources
- SSA press release, October 14, 2026
- SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet
- SSA Cost-of-Living Adjustment information and history
- SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, CPI-W table
- SSA OACT, how the COLA is determined
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index
- CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B premiums and deductibles
Checked October 16, 2026. 77.today is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Your own COLA notice (mailed in December and posted in the my Social Security Message Center from late November) shows your exact 2027 amount.