Social Security COLA 2027: The 3.6% Raise, New SSI Rates, and Payment Dates

Social Security COLA 2027 at a glance

Every year, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments are adjusted so they keep up with rising prices. The adjustment is set by a formula in federal law, not by a vote, and the agency announced the 2027 figure on October 14, 2026. The formal notice, titled "Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027," was published in the Federal Register on October 26, 2026.

Here is what the 3.6% raise looks like for typical households, using the estimates in SSA's 2027 fact sheet as reported in national news coverage. Your own increase is simply your current monthly amount times 3.6%, rounded down to the dime.

A quick way to estimate your own raise: if your benefit is $1,500 a month, 3.6% adds about $54. At $2,500 a month, it adds about $90. The amount you actually receive may be lower if a Medicare premium or tax withholding is taken out of your check, which we cover below. Or enter your own numbers in our free Social Security COLA calculator, which also subtracts the Medicare Part B premium.

How the 3.6% figure was calculated

The COLA is tied to a price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics called the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W. SSA has used this index since automatic raises began in 1975. The law compares the average CPI-W for July, August, and September of this year with the same three months of the year the last raise was based on.

According to the Federal Register notice, the third-quarter 2025 average was 317.265 and the third-quarter 2026 average was 328.746. That is a rise of 3.6% when rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. The monthly index values for 2026 were 327.104 in July, 328.481 in August, and 330.654 in September.

The law also has a safety check: if the trust funds fell below 20% of a year's costs, the raise could be limited to wage growth. For 2026, the notice puts that ratio at 151.3%, so no limit applied. One thing the formula does not do is look at the prices older people pay most, such as health care and housing. Some advocates argue for a separate index for seniors, but the CPI-W is what current law requires.

The raise applies to people who were already eligible before 2027. If you turn 62, become disabled, or a worker in your family dies in 2027, your benefit is figured with the 2027 formula instead, so the 3.6% is built in another way.

Recent COLAs compared

The 2027 raise is higher than the last two years but well below the record jump that followed the 2022 price spike. Each figure below comes from SSA's Federal Register notice for that year.

Over these five years, the maximum SSI payment for one person has risen by $115 a month. Prices rose too, so the raise mostly keeps your buying power where it was rather than putting you ahead.

When will you see the higher payment?

Social Security pays benefits a month behind. The COLA starts with the benefit for December 2026, and that benefit is paid in January 2027. Your payment day depends on your birth date and when you started receiving benefits.

People on SSI receive two payments in December 2026: the regular December payment on December 1 and the January 2027 payment on December 31. That second deposit is not a bonus. It is January's money arriving early, so plan your budget to stretch it through the month.

Your COLA notice

SSA mails a notice in early December showing your new amount, any Medicare premium, and what you will receive after deductions. If you have a my Social Security account, you can usually see the same notice online in the Message Center before the paper copy arrives. You can also choose to receive the notice by text or email instead of mail through your account settings. Keep the notice: housing authorities, SNAP offices, and Medicaid caseworkers often ask for it as proof of income.

SSI payment rates for 2027

SSI is the needs-based program for people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled and have little income and few assets. The federal payment rates for 2027 are:

• $1,029 a month for an eligible individual
• $1,544 a month for an eligible couple
• $516 a month for an essential person living with an SSI recipient

These are the most SSI can pay before income is subtracted. Some states add a state supplement on top. If you have other income, SSI counts it after small exclusions, including a general $20 a month exclusion.

If you get both Social Security and SSI

Many people receive a small Social Security benefit plus SSI. In that case, the Social Security raise counts as extra income, so SSI goes down a little while Social Security goes up. Your combined total still rises to match the new SSI rate. For example, someone with a $500 Social Security benefit in 2026 received $514 in SSI, for $1,014 in total. In 2027, Social Security becomes $518, SSI becomes $531, and the total is $1,049. Our page on housing for seniors on Social Security shows how to stretch a fixed check like this toward rent.

The student earned income exclusion for young people on SSI also rises, to $2,500 a month and $10,080 for the year.

Other numbers that change in 2027

The same notice updates several amounts that matter for people who still work or who receive disability benefits. These are tied to the national average wage index (which was $72,800.33 for 2025), not to the COLA itself.

A few notes on these figures. The earnings test only applies before full retirement age, which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Money withheld under the test is not lost; your benefit is recalculated upward at full retirement age. You can earn up to four work credits a year, so in 2027 you would need $7,880 in covered earnings to get all four. The maximum benefit at full retirement age comes from SSA's fact sheet as reported by news outlets, and only people who earned at or above the taxable maximum for about 35 years receive it.

For people on Social Security Disability Insurance, the higher SGA limit gives a bit more room to work. Earning more than $1,770 a month (after allowed work expenses) generally signals that you are no longer disabled under SSA's rules, though trial work months and other work incentives apply first.

Medicare premiums and your net raise

Most people with Medicare Part B have the premium deducted from their Social Security check. When the premium goes up in the same January as the COLA, part of the raise is used up before it reaches your bank account.

As of November 8, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) had not published the 2027 Part B premium or deductible. CMS usually releases them in the fall, often in November. For 2026 the standard premium is $202.90 a month and the deductible is $283. We will update this page when the 2027 figures are official. As a simple illustration only: if the premium rose by $10, an average retiree's $75 raise would show up as roughly $65 more in the January deposit.

The hold-harmless rule

A protection in the Social Security Act, often called the hold-harmless rule, keeps your net Social Security payment from going down because of a Part B premium increase. It generally covers people who had the premium deducted from their benefits in both November and December of the prior year. It does not protect new enrollees, people who pay the higher income-related premium, or people whose state pays the premium through Medicaid. With a 3.6% raise, few people should need this protection, but it matters for those with very small benefits.

Help paying Medicare costs

If money is tight, check whether you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, which can pay the Part B premium for you and in some cases deductibles and copays. Federal law tells states to ignore the January COLA when they check eligibility for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program until the new federal poverty guidelines take effect, usually in spring. Your state Medicaid office handles these applications. Applying is free.

Effects on SNAP, Medicaid, and housing

Because the COLA raises your income, it can change other benefits that use income to set eligibility or amounts. In most cases the change is small, and you come out ahead overall.

SNAP

SNAP counts Social Security and SSI as income. Your state will usually update your case with the new amount in January without you doing anything. For every extra dollar of net income, a SNAP benefit typically goes down by about 30 cents, so a $75 raise might reduce food benefits by roughly $22. Households with someone 60 or older or disabled only have to meet the net income test. You can check your numbers with our SNAP calculator.

Medicaid

Medicaid income limits in many states are tied to the federal poverty guidelines or to the SSI rate, and both change each year. If you lost SSI at some point but would still qualify without the COLAs you have received since then, a federal rule known as the Pickle amendment may let you keep Medicaid. Ask your state Medicaid office if your January notice says your coverage is ending. Our Medicaid guide covers how to apply and how recent federal changes affect renewals.

Rent in public housing and Section 8

In public housing and the Housing Choice Voucher program, tenants generally pay about 30% of adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities. A larger Social Security check means your share of rent can rise, typically by about 30 cents for each extra dollar. Many housing authorities apply the COLA at your next annual review, and some update everyone in January. Report the new amount when asked and keep your COLA notice as proof.

Veterans benefits and the 3.6% increase

VA benefits follow the Social Security COLA, but through two different routes:

• Veterans Pension and Survivors Pension: by law, these needs-based rates rise by the same percentage as Social Security, effective December 1. VA publishes the new rate tables on its pension rates page.
• Disability compensation and DIC: these need a short law from Congress each year. In 2026, bills titled the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026 (S. 4487 and H.R. 8552) were introduced to match the 3.6% Social Security raise from December 1, 2026. As of this update we could not confirm the bill had been signed, so check VA's compensation rate tables before counting on the new amount. Congress has passed this adjustment every year for decades.

Because VA pays on the first business day of the following month, the December 2026 increase would first show up in the payment made at the end of December 2026 or early January 2027.

Taxes on a larger benefit

Social Security benefits can be partly taxable if your "combined income" (your adjusted gross income, plus nontaxable interest, plus half of your benefits) is above $25,000 for a single filer or $32,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Up to 85% of benefits can be taxed at higher incomes. These thresholds are not adjusted for inflation, so each COLA pushes a few more people over them. SSI is not taxable.

For tax years 2025 through 2028, the IRS says taxpayers age 65 and older can take an extra deduction of up to $6,000 each ($12,000 for a married couple who both qualify). It is in addition to the regular extra standard deduction for seniors, and you can take it whether or not you itemize. The deduction shrinks for modified adjusted gross income above $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for joint filers, married people must file jointly to claim it, and each person needs a valid Social Security number. For many retirees, this deduction means little or no federal tax on their benefits.

If you have tax withheld from your Social Security, the higher benefit also means slightly more withholding at the same percentage. You can change your withholding choice with Form W-4V. If the raise adds pressure to an existing debt problem, our guide to debt relief for seniors on Social Security explains which debts can and cannot reach your benefits.

Scams that use COLA news

Every fall, scammers use COLA headlines to trick people. Remember these points:

• No one has to apply, register, or pay a fee to get the COLA. It is added automatically.
• SSA will not call, text, or email to ask for your Social Security number, bank details, or a payment to "release" or "activate" your raise.
• SSA never asks for payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash by mail.
• Messages that say your benefits will be "suspended" unless you act now are a common scare tactic.

To check your new amount, sign in to my Social Security yourself by typing the address into your browser, or call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). If someone has contacted you, report it to the SSA Office of the Inspector General. The 3.6% COLA is not a stimulus check, and no new federal stimulus payments are scheduled.

Related guides

• Medicare benefits explained
• Senior property tax relief
• Free government assistance for seniors living at home
• How to find unclaimed money

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Social Security, SSI, Medicare, and VA amounts are set by federal law and the agencies that run them, and they can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration, CMS, VA, the IRS, or any government agency. Your COLA is added automatically and you never need to pay anyone to receive it.