Home › Social Security › 2027 COLA
As of Oct. 16, 2026
Sources: SSA news release (Oct. 14, 2026) · SSA effect on averages · SSA latest COLA (CPI-W math)
Do nothing to get the raise, but check your notice. Make a free my Social Security account and choose paperless notices by Nov. 18, 2026 to see your exact 2027 amount online in late November. If you still work and are under full retirement age, the 2027 earnings limit rises to $25,560. Ignore anyone who asks you to pay, or to send gift cards or a wire transfer, to get the COLA: SSA services are free.
The math:
Sources: SSA news release (Oct. 14, 2026) · SSA COLA information · SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet · SSA how a COLA is applied · CMS 2026 Part B premium · IRS: are benefits taxable?
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Type your monthly Social Security amount before Medicare is taken out (your 2026 COLA letter or my Social Security shows it). Rough math only. Nothing you type leaves your phone.
The Part B box starts at the 2026 standard premium ($202.90). The 2027 premium was not announced when we checked; when CMS announces it (usually mid-November), type the new number.
Sources: SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet · SSA effect on averages · SSA SSI amounts 2027 · CMS 2026 Part B premium
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18, 2026 | Last day to create a my Social Security account and choose paperless notices to see your COLA notice online (SSA). |
| late Nov. 2026 | COLA notices start showing in the my Social Security Message Center, with your exact new amount and Medicare deductions (SSA). |
| mid-Nov. 2026 (expected) | CMS usually announces next year's Medicare Part B premium in mid-November. Not announced as of our check. |
| December 2026 | Paper COLA notices mailed to people not signed up for paperless notices (SSA). |
| Thu., Dec. 31, 2026 | January 2027 SSI payment, with the 3.6% raise (Jan. 1 is a holiday). Also January Social Security for people paid on the 3rd (Jan. 3, 2027 is a Sunday; Jan. 1 is a holiday). |
| Wed., Jan. 13, 2027 | January Social Security, birthday on the 1st to 10th (second Wednesday). |
| Wed., Jan. 20, 2027 | January Social Security, birthday on the 11th to 20th (third Wednesday). |
| Wed., Jan. 27, 2027 | January Social Security, birthday on the 21st to 31st (fourth Wednesday). |
Payment days follow Social Security’s rule: birthday 1st–10th → second Wednesday, 11th–20th → third Wednesday, 21st–31st → fourth Wednesday; people who started before May 1997 or also get SSI are paid on the 3rd. If that day is a weekend or federal holiday, payment comes the business day before. Sources: 20 CFR 404.1807 (payment day) · SSA 2027 payment calendar · SSA latest COLA (CPI-W math) · SSA news release (Oct. 14, 2026) · SSA COLA information
| Who | Before | After 3.6% | Raise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retired worker | $2,094 | $2,170 | +$76 |
| Retired worker and spouse (both getting benefits) | $3,237 | $3,354 | +$117 |
| Aged widow or widower alone | $1,936 | $2,006 | +$70 |
| Disabled worker | $1,642 | $1,701 | +$59 |
| Disabled worker, spouse and children | $2,971 | $3,078 | +$107 |
| Widowed mother and 2 children | $3,934 | $4,076 | +$142 |
SSA Office of the Chief Actuary estimates for the end of December 2026, based on benefit data through August 2026. Before Medicare and other deductions. Source: SSA effect on averages
| What | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable maximum (Social Security tax stops above this) | $184,500 | $192,300 |
| Earnings to get one credit (quarter of coverage) | $1,890 | $1,970 |
| Earnings limit if under full retirement age all year ($1 held back per $2 over) | $24,480 a year ($2,040 a month) | $25,560 a year ($2,130 a month) |
| Earnings limit in the year you reach full retirement age ($1 held back per $3 over, months before that month only) | $65,160 a year ($5,430 a month) | $67,920 a year ($5,660 a month) |
| Disability work limit, SGA (not blind) | $1,690 a month | $1,770 a month |
| Disability work limit, SGA (blind) | $2,830 a month | $2,950 a month |
| Trial work period month | $1,210 a month | $1,270 a month |
| Highest benefit for a worker retiring at full retirement age | $4,152 a month | $4,188 a month |
| SSI federal payment, one person | $994 a month | $1,029 a month |
| SSI federal payment, couple | $1,491 a month | $1,544 a month |
| SSI resource limit (individual / couple) | $2,000 / $3,000 | $2,000 / $3,000 (no change) |
| SSI student earned income exclusion (monthly / yearly) | $2,410 / $9,730 | $2,500 / $10,080 |
| Benefit formula bend points (people turning 62 that year) | $1,286 and $7,749 | $1,340 and $8,077 |
Tax rates don’t change: employees pay 7.65% (6.2% Social Security up to the taxable maximum, plus 1.45% Medicare on all pay); self-employed people pay 15.3%.
Sources: SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet · SSA SSI amounts 2027 · SSA 2027 bend points · SSA COLA information. For full retirement age and the benefit formula, see Social Security basics.
Sources: CMS 2026 Part B premium · SSA news release (Oct. 14, 2026) · Social Security Act § 1839(f) · SSA how a COLA is applied
By law, the COLA is the rise in the CPI-W price index from the July–September average of the last COLA year to this year’s. 2025 average: 317.265. 2026 average: 328.746 (July 327.104, August 328.481, September 330.654). (328.746 − 317.265) ÷ 317.265 × 100 = 3.62%, rounded to 3.6%.
Source: SSA latest COLA (CPI-W math)
| Checks paid in January | Raise |
|---|---|
| 2027 | 3.6% |
| 2026 | 2.8% |
| 2025 | 2.5% |
| 2024 | 3.2% |
| 2023 | 8.7% |
| 2022 | 5.9% |
| 2021 | 1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.8% |
| 2018 | 2.0% |
Year = the January the raise first showed up in checks (SSA list of automatic COLAs since 1975). Source: SSA COLA information
It can. IRS rule: some of your benefits are taxable if half your benefits plus all other income (including tax-exempt interest) is more than $25,000 (single, head of household) or $32,000 (married filing jointly). A raise adds to the “half your benefits” part. SSI payments are not taxable.
Source: IRS: are benefits taxable?. Not tax advice.
Not financial advice. Not an SSA estimate. We republish Social Security Administration numbers with dates. The tool does simple arithmetic on what you type. Your official amount is on your COLA notice and in my Social Security. Social Security never charges for its services.
3.6%. SSA announced it on Oct. 14, 2026. It applies to Social Security benefits starting with the January 2027 payment and to SSI starting with the payment made Dec. 31, 2026. About 76 million people get the raise.
About 3.6% more before deductions. SSA estimates the average retired worker goes from $2,094 to $2,170 (+$76). Your take-home change also depends on the 2027 Medicare Part B premium, which CMS usually announces in mid-November.
SSI: Dec. 31, 2026. Social Security: Jan. 13, 20 or 27, 2027 depending on your birthday (1st–10th, 11th–20th, 21st–31st). People paid on the 3rd get January’s payment on Dec. 31, 2026 because Jan. 3, 2027 is a Sunday and Jan. 1 is a holiday.
The federal SSI amount is $1,029 a month for one person and $1,544 for a couple (up from $994 and $1,491). Some states add a supplement.
$25,560 a year if you are under full retirement age all year ($1 held back for every $2 over). In the year you reach full retirement age it is $67,920 ($1 per $3 over, only for months before that month). No limit from the month you reach full retirement age.
No. The raise is automatic. SSA services are free, and no government agency asks for gift cards or wire transfers. Your new amount is on the COLA notice (online in late November if you choose paperless by Nov. 18, 2026; by mail in December).
Facts, not financial advice, and not an SSA benefit estimate. Rules and amounts change yearly; check your own record and estimates at ssa.gov/myaccount.