Social Security COLA for 2027
Social Security and SSI benefits go up 3.6% for 2027. The increase is in the benefit payable in January 2027.
Use the amount before any deductions. The starting figure is the average retired worker's benefit.
Your monthly benefit after the increase
$2,170.42
- Increase each month
- $75.42
- Increase over 12 months
- $905.04
- Increase applied
- 3.6%
This is your current benefit multiplied by 1.036. Your own new amount is set by the Social Security Administration.
How the 2027 increase was set
The Social Security Administration bases the adjustment on the rise in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2025 through the third quarter of 2026. That rise was 3.6%. The increase the year before was 2.8%.
What it does to the average benefit
These are the agency's own estimates of average monthly benefits payable in January 2027.
| Who | Before the increase | After the increase |
|---|---|---|
| All retired workers | $2,095 | $2,170 |
| Aged couple, both receiving benefits | $3,238 | $3,355 |
| Aged widow or widower alone | $1,936 | $2,005 |
What else changes in 2027
| Figure | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Most earnings taxed for Social Security in a year | $184,500 | $192,300 |
| Earnings limit if you are under full retirement age all year | $24,480 | $25,560 |
| Earnings limit in the year you reach full retirement age | $65,160 | $67,920 |
| Earnings needed for one quarter of coverage | $1,890 | $1,970 |
| Largest monthly benefit for a worker retiring at full retirement age | $4,152 | $4,188 |
| SSI federal payment, individual, each month | $994 | $1,029 |
| SSI federal payment, couple, each month | $1,491 | $1,544 |
The earnings limits apply to people who collect retirement benefits while still working. Under full retirement age, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 earned above the limit. In the year you reach full retirement age, $1 is withheld for every $3 above the limit, counting only the months before you reach it. From the month you reach full retirement age there is no limit.
Every COLA since 1975
The year shown is the year the adjustment was set. Since 1983 each one has taken effect with the benefit payable for December of that year, so the 3.6% set in 2026 is the one the agency calls the COLA for 2027.
| Year set | Increase |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.6% |
| 2025 | 2.8% |
| 2024 | 2.5% |
| 2023 | 3.2% |
| 2022 | 8.7% |
| 2021 | 5.9% |
| 2020 | 1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.6% |
| 2018 | 2.8% |
| 2017 | 2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.7% |
| 2013 | 1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.7% |
| 2011 | 3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.0% |
| Year set | Increase |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 5.8% |
| 2007 | 2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.3% |
| 2005 | 4.1% |
| 2004 | 2.7% |
| 2003 | 2.1% |
| 2002 | 1.4% |
| 2001 | 2.6% |
| 2000 | 3.5% |
| 1999 | 2.5% |
| 1998 | 1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.1% |
| 1996 | 2.9% |
| 1995 | 2.6% |
| 1994 | 2.8% |
| 1993 | 2.6% |
| 1992 | 3.0% |
| 1991 | 3.7% |
| Year set | Increase |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.4% |
| 1989 | 4.7% |
| 1988 | 4.0% |
| 1987 | 4.2% |
| 1986 | 1.3% |
| 1985 | 3.1% |
| 1984 | 3.5% |
| 1983 | 3.5% |
| 1982 | 7.4% |
| 1981 | 11.2% |
| 1980 | 14.3% |
| 1979 | 9.9% |
| 1978 | 6.5% |
| 1977 | 5.9% |
| 1976 | 6.4% |
| 1975 | 8.0% |
The 1999 figure was first set at 2.4% and is 2.5% under Public Law 106-554. Before 1975, increases were set by legislation.
Questions people ask
What is the Social Security COLA for 2027?
It is 3.6%. The Social Security Administration based it on the rise in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2025 through the third quarter of 2026.
How much will the average Social Security check go up in 2027?
The Social Security Administration estimates the average retired worker's benefit at $2,095 a month before the increase and $2,170 after it, a rise of $75 a month.
What was the COLA last year?
The increase before this one was 2.8%.
How much can I earn in 2027 while collecting Social Security?
If you are under full retirement age for the whole year, the limit is $25,560. In the year you reach full retirement age it is $67,920, counting only the months before you reach it.
Check our work
Every figure on this page was read from these official documents. Follow the links and compare.
- 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact SheetSocial Security Administration. Read on November 12, 2026.
- Cost-of-Living Adjustments, 1975 to dateSocial Security Administration. Read on November 12, 2026.