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SSA Announces 3.6% COLA for 2027, Largest in Four Years
The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027 on Oct. 14 — up from 2.8% for 2026 and the largest since 2023. About 76 million beneficiaries get an average of $75 more a month.
Why it matters
The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that Social Security benefits will rise 3.6% in 2027 — a sharp step up from the 2.8% adjustment for 2026 and the largest increase since the 8.7% jump for 2023. It is the sixth straight year the COLA has reached at least 2.5%.
The increase covers about 76 million retirees, spouses and disabled beneficiaries. On average, a retired worker's monthly check rises by about $75, from roughly $2,087.52 to $2,162.67, starting with payments in January.
How it's calculated
By law, the COLA is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), comparing the July–September average with the same period a year earlier. This year the index ran 3.4%, 3.5% and 3.9% above year-ago levels in July, August and September respectively, for a final figure of 3.62%, rounded to 3.6%.
Federal Employees Retirement System retirees aged 62 and older get 2.6% under the FERS reduction formula. The increase takes effect in December 2026 and first appears in January 2027 payments.
Reaction
Senior advocates called the number too low. Shannon Benton, executive director of The Senior Citizens League, said in a statement that "another year, another COLA that falls short of expectations," arguing the adjustment lags the real cost pressures retirees face at the pump, the grocery store and on airfares.
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