Social Security COLA 2027: What We Know So Far
The official number arrives in mid-October 2026. Here's when, how it's set, and how to estimate your new check.
Not announced yet. The SSA will publish the official 2027 COLA in mid-October 2026, when September inflation data is released. This page updates with the final number the day it's announced —estimate your new check in the meantime.
When is the 2027 COLA announced?
The Social Security Administration announces the next year's cost-of-living adjustment in mid-October, the same morning the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the September Consumer Price Index. There is no suspense about the timing — only about the number.
Until then, any figure you see is an estimate. Projections published during the summer move month to month as new inflation data lands, and they only firm up once the July, August, and September numbers — the three months that actually count — are in.
How the COLA is calculated
The formula is fixed by law and uses one specific inflation measure: the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers). The SSA averages the CPI-W for July, August, and September and compares it with the average for the same three months a year earlier. The percentage increase — rounded to the nearest tenth — is the COLA. If there's no increase, the COLA is zero; it is never negative.
Estimate your 2027 check
New benefit: —
The slider starts at 2.8% — the 2026 COLA — as a reference, not a prediction. Amounts are gross, before any Medicare premium deduction.
Want to compare several percentages side by side? Use thefull COLA calculator.
COLA history: the last 10 years
| Year | COLA |
|---|---|
| 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% |
| 2017 | 0.3% |
Source: SSA COLA series.
When you'll see the increase in your deposit
The COLA applies to benefits for January 2027. These are the exact dates the first increased payments arrive, per the official schedule:
- Thursday, December 31, 2026 — supplemental security income (ssi) recipients (the January payment, issued early)
- Thursday, December 31, 2026 — beneficiaries who started receiving benefits before may 1997, or who receive both social security and ssi
- Wednesday, January 13, 2027 — retirement, survivors, and disability (ssdi) beneficiaries born on the 1st through the 10th of the month
- Wednesday, January 20, 2027 — retirement, survivors, and disability (ssdi) beneficiaries born on the 11th through the 20th of the month
- Wednesday, January 27, 2027 — retirement, survivors, and disability (ssdi) beneficiaries born on the 21st through the 31st of the month
One thing that can offset it: the Medicare Part B premium for 2027 is announced separately in the fall and is deducted from most checks. If the premium goes up, your net deposit rises by less than the headline COLA.
Frequently asked questions
When will the 2027 Social Security COLA be announced?
In mid-October 2026, the same morning the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the September inflation report. The SSA publishes the official percentage within minutes of that release.
When does the 2027 COLA take effect?
The increase applies to benefits for January 2027. SSI recipients usually see it first, because the January SSI payment is often issued at the end of December when January 1 falls on a weekend or holiday.
How is the COLA calculated?
The SSA compares the average CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) for July, August, and September with the same three months of the previous year. The percentage increase, rounded to the nearest tenth, becomes the COLA.
Can the COLA be zero?
Yes. If prices don't rise year over year there is no adjustment — that happened in 2010, 2011, and 2016. Benefits never go down because of the COLA formula; the adjustment is never negative.
Will Medicare premiums eat the increase?
Part of it, sometimes. The Medicare Part B premium for the new year is announced separately in the fall and is deducted from most Social Security checks, so a premium increase can offset a slice of the COLA.
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