2027 Social Security COLA: 3.6%
Announced 2026-10-14. Benefits for nearly 72 million people go up 3.6% with the January 2027 payment; about 7.3 million SSI recipients see it on December 31, 2026. Average retired-worker check: $2,095 to $2,170 a month.
Your raise
Part B 2027 is a projection until CMS announces it (usually November). Edit it when the number is out.
Result
Average benefits before and after SSA estimates for January 2027
| Who | Before | After 3.6% | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All retired workers | $2,095 | $2,170 | +$75/mo |
| Aged couple, both receiving benefits | $3,238 | $3,355 | +$117/mo |
| Widowed mother and two children | $3,932 | $4,074 | +$142/mo |
| Aged widow(er) alone | $1,936 | $2,005 | +$69/mo |
| Disabled worker, spouse and one or more children | $2,970 | $3,077 | +$107/mo |
| All disabled workers | $1,642 | $1,701 | +$59/mo |
Every other 2027 number
| Item | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable maximum (Social Security tax stops here) | $184,500 | $192,300 |
| Quarter of coverage (earnings for one credit) | $1,890 | $1,970 |
| Earnings test, under full retirement age ($1 withheld per $2 over) | $24,480/yr ($2,040/mo) | $25,560/yr ($2,130/mo) |
| Earnings test, year you reach full retirement age ($1 per $3 over) | $65,160/yr ($5,430/mo) | $67,920/yr ($5,660/mo) |
| Maximum benefit, worker retiring at full retirement age | $4,152/mo | $4,188/mo |
| SSI federal payment, individual | $994/mo | $1,029/mo |
| SSI federal payment, couple | $1,491/mo | $1,544/mo |
| Substantial gainful activity, non-blind | $1,690/mo | $1,770/mo |
| Substantial gainful activity, blind | $2,830/mo | $2,950/mo |
| Trial work period month | $1,210/mo | $1,270/mo |
| SSI student exclusion, monthly / annual | $2,410 / $9,730 | $2,500 / $10,080 |
| Employee tax rate (Social Security 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | 7.65% | 7.65% |
Source: SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet. The taxable maximum and earnings-test amounts follow average wages, not the COLA.
Medicare Part B projected
CMS has not announced the 2027 Part B premium yet; the figure here is the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projection. CMS usually publishes the number in November, and the premium is deducted from your Social Security check.
Part D for 2027 (announced): Annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs $2,400 (was $2,100); Standard Part D deductible $700 (was $615).
How the COLA is set
- The law compares average CPI-W (the index for urban wage earners) in July, August and September with the same quarter a year earlier.
- 2025 to 2026: CPI-W rose 3.6%. Headline CPI is running 3.72% year over year (2026-09), so the raise roughly tracks prices, with a lag.
- No inflation, no COLA: 2010, 2011 and 2016 were zero. The record is 14.3% in 1980.
- Medicare Part B is deducted before the check arrives, which is why the net raise is smaller than the headline.
- Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable; the income thresholds for that ($25,000 single, $32,000 joint) are not indexed, so a raise can push more of the benefit into taxable income.
Every COLA since 1975
1975 to 1982 COLAs took effect in July; since 1983 they take effect with the January payment. Average since 1975: 3.7%. Source: SSA.
Table
| Year | COLA | Year | COLA | Year | COLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 8.0% | 1994 | 2.6% | 2012 | 3.6% |
| 1976 | 6.4% | 1995 | 2.8% | 2013 | 1.7% |
| 1977 | 5.9% | 1996 | 2.6% | 2014 | 1.5% |
| 1978 | 6.5% | 1997 | 2.9% | 2015 | 1.7% |
| 1979 | 9.9% | 1998 | 2.1% | 2016 | 0.0% |
| 1980 | 14.3% | 1999 | 1.3% | 2017 | 0.3% |
| 1981 | 11.2% | 2000 | 2.5% | 2018 | 2.0% |
| 1982 | 7.4% | 2001 | 3.5% | 2019 | 2.8% |
| 1984 | 3.5% | 2002 | 2.6% | 2020 | 1.6% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | 2003 | 1.4% | 2021 | 1.3% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | 2004 | 2.1% | 2022 | 5.9% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | 2005 | 2.7% | 2023 | 8.7% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | 2006 | 4.1% | 2024 | 3.2% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | 2007 | 3.3% | 2025 | 2.5% |
| 1990 | 4.7% | 2008 | 2.3% | 2026 | 2.8% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | 2009 | 5.8% | 2027 | 3.6% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | 2010 | 0.0% | ||
| 1993 | 3.0% | 2011 | 0.0% |