The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027. SSI will pay it on December 31, 2026, and Social Security will pay it starting in January.
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027. The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on October 14, 2026: the increase will reach nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries with payments starting in January 2027 and about 7.3 million SSI recipients starting on December 31, 2026.
In total, the adjustment affects 76 million people, because some receive both benefits. According to the SSA statementThe average retirement benefit will increase by $75 per month.
How much does the payment increase?
The COLA 2027 data sheet The SSA estimates these monthly averages for January 2027, before and after the adjustment:
- All retirees: from $2,095 to $2,170.
- Retired couple, both with benefits: from $3,238 to $3,355.
- Widow or widower living alone: from $1,936 to $2,005.
- All workers with disabilities: from $1,642 to $1,701.
The maximum federal SSI payment increases from $994 to $1,029 per month for an individual and from $1,491 to $1,544 for a couple. The SSI resource limits remain unchanged: $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.
How is COLA calculated?
The Social Security Act links the adjustment to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage and Clerk Workers (CPI-W), calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the Department of Labor. For 2027, the SSA compared the third quarter of 2025 with the third quarter of 2026. If the index does not rise, there is no adjustment, as occurred in 2010, 2011, and 2016.
The 2026 COLA was 2.8%, according to the SSA adjustment history. The 2027 figure is the highest since 2023, when it was 8.7%.
What happens to the Medicare Part B premium?
It is not yet known. As of October 19, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) had not published the Part B premium for 2027. For 2026, the standard premium is $202.90 per month and the annual deductible is $283, according to the CMS fact sheet from November 14, 2025.
The SSA indicates that Medicare enrollees will be able to view their 2027 premium in the my Social Security Message Center starting in late November. The COLA letter shows the new benefit amount and any deductions, so the increase you receive may be less than 3.6% after the premium is deducted from your payment.
What does it mean to you?
- If you receive Social Security retirement, survivor, or disability benefits, you will see the increase in your January 2027 payment.
- If you receive SSI, the increase comes with the payment on December 31, 2026.
- Your exact increase depends on your benefit and deductions, such as the 2027 Medicare premium, which has not yet been announced.
- If you collect benefits before your full retirement age and work, in 2027 you can earn up to $25,560 without deductions; above that, the SSA withholds $1 for every $2. If you reach full retirement age in 2027, the limit is $67,920, and it withholds $1 for every $3 up to the month before you reach retirement age.
- If you work, the maximum salary subject to Social Security tax rises to $192,300 in 2027.
What can you do?
- Log in or create your personal account at my Social Security (in English). If you create it and choose to receive notifications online no later than November 18, 2026, you will be able to see your COLA letter in the Message Center from late November, up to three weeks before the printed letter.
- Activate alerts via text message or email to know when your notification arrives.
- If you don't use the account, the letter will arrive in the mail in December. It's a one-page notice with the dates and amounts of your new benefit and your deductions.
- For Medicare changes in 2027, visit es.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
- Beware of scams. The SSA reminds everyone that its services are free and that no agency requests payments via wire transfers or gift cards. If you suspect fraud, report it to oig.ssa.gov/report or 1-800-269-0271.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is 3.6%, as announced by the Social Security Administration on October 14, 2026. The average retirement benefit increases by about $75 dollars per month.
Social Security beneficiaries will receive it starting with the January 2027 payments. Those receiving SSI will see it starting with the December 31, 2026 payment.
As of October 19, 2026, CMS had not announced it. In 2026, the standard premium is $202.90 per month; the 2027 premium will appear in my Social Security from the end of November.
In the Message Center of your my Social Security account, from the end of November 2026. If you don't have an account, create one and choose online alerts no later than November 18.
The maximum federal SSI payment increases from $994 to $1,029 per month for an individual and from $1,491 to $1,544 for a couple, according to the SSA fact sheet.
