Social Security disability COLA 2027: SSDI and SSI up 3.6%
Disability benefits (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rise 3.6% for 2027. The average disabled worker goes from $1,642 to $1,701 a month; the federal SSI payment from $994 to $1,029.
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Disability amounts for 2027
| Amount | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Average: disabled worker, spouse and one or more children | $2,970 | $3,077 |
| Average: all disabled workers | $1,642 | $1,701 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
SSDI: what the 3.6% means for you
Social Security Disability Insurance is paid from your own work record, and the COLA is applied to your primary insurance amount exactly as it is for retirees: multiply your current benefit by 1.036 and drop the cents. A $1,200 SSDI check becomes $1,243, $1,642 (the average) becomes $1,701, $2,500 becomes $2,590. Benefits paid to your spouse and children on your record rise by the same percentage, subject to the family maximum.
The first increased payment is the one for December 2026, which arrives in January 2027 on your usual day. Most people are paid on a Wednesday chosen by their birthday – January 13, 20 or 27, 2027. If you started receiving benefits before May 1997, or you get SSI as well, you are paid on the 3rd; because January 3, 2027 falls on a Sunday and January 1 is a holiday, that payment is made on December 31, 2026.
If Medicare Part B is deducted from your SSDI – it is for most people after 24 months of disability benefits – your net raise depends on the 2027 premium, which CMS has not announced yet (2026: $202.90 a month).
SSI: the new federal payment
SSI is a needs-based program for people with low income and few resources who are 65 or older, blind or disabled. The federal payment standard becomes $1,029 for an individual and $1,544 for a couple. That is the most SSA pays when you have no other countable income; earnings, other benefits and in-kind support reduce it. The first $20 of most income and the first $65 of earnings plus half of the rest are not counted.
The January 2027 SSI payment is made early, on December 31, 2026, because January 1 is a federal holiday – so in calendar terms you receive two SSI payments in December 2026 and none in January. That is normal and not an overpayment. The SSI student earned income exclusion rises to $2,500 a month and $10,080 a year; the resource limits stay $2,000 and $3,000.
Working on disability in 2027
Earnings above the substantial gainful activity level – $1,770 a month in 2027, $2,950 for blind beneficiaries – normally mean SSA no longer considers you disabled, after the trial work period. Any month in which you earn more than $1,270 counts as a trial work period month; you have nine of them (within a rolling five-year window) in which you keep your full benefit regardless of earnings. Impairment-related work expenses are subtracted before the comparison. Ticket to Work and the extended period of eligibility let you return to benefits without a new application if your earnings fall again.
For SSI, there is no SGA test once you are on the program: your payment is reduced gradually as earnings rise, and section 1619(b) can keep your Medicaid even when the cash payment stops.
SSDI and SSI COLA questions
How much is the 2027 COLA for Social Security disability?
The same 3.6% as for retirement benefits. SSA estimates the average disabled worker's benefit rises from $1,642 to $1,701 a month in January 2027, and a disabled worker with a spouse and children from $2,970 to $3,077.
When does SSDI go up?
With the payment that arrives in January 2027 (the benefit for December 2026), on your usual day: the second, third or fourth Wednesday by your birthday, or the 3rd for people who started before May 1997.
How much is SSI in 2027?
The federal SSI payment is $1,029 a month for an individual and $1,544 for an eligible couple, paid from December 31, 2026. State supplements, where paid, come on top.
How much can I earn on SSDI in 2027?
Substantial gainful activity (SGA) is $1,770 a month in 2027 ($2,950 if you are blind). A trial work period month is any month with earnings over $1,270. During the nine-month trial work period you keep your full benefit whatever you earn.
Did the SSI resource limit go up?
No. It stays $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple; it is set by law and does not change with the COLA.
I get both SSDI and SSI. What happens?
Both rise by the COLA, but because SSI is reduced by other income, a higher SSDI payment can lower your SSI by about the same amount after the $20 general income exclusion. Your December notice shows both new amounts.
More on 2027 benefits
Sources
- SSA press release, October 14, 2026
- SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet
- SSA, SSI federal payment amounts
- SSA, substantial gainful activity
- SSA Cost-of-Living Adjustment information and history
- 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.