Social Security Raise 2027: 3.6% COLA (What Actually Lands in January)
Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rise 3.6% for 2027. That is the headline. What lands in your account in January can be smaller, and this guide shows you why, when you will know your real number, and what to do between now and then.
The short version: note the percentage, but do not plan around it. Wait for your December notice, and plan around its bottom line.
Key facts at a glance
- The raise is 3.6%, announced October 14, 2026, the largest since 2023.
- The average retired worker gets about $75 more a month, from $2,095 to $2,170.
- It is automatic. You do not apply, and no one needs to “activate” it.
- SSI payments rise starting December 31, 2026; Social Security payments rise in January 2027.
- Sign up for paperless notices by November 18, 2026 to see your new amount online starting in late November or early December.
- The 2027 Medicare Part B premium, which comes out of most retirees’ checks, is not announced yet.
How the 2027 Social Security raise is set
The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) follows one price index: the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, called CPI-W.
Social Security averages that index for July, August and September, then compares the result with the same three months of the last year that had a raise. For 2027 that was 2025, so the comparison was a year apart. The change, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent, becomes the raise. September’s numbers come out in mid October, which is why the announcement always lands then.
If prices do not rise, the COLA is zero. It is never negative. That has happened three times: for 2010, 2011 and 2016. Other changes, like a higher premium deducted from your check, can still lower what you are paid.
| Year | COLA |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 8.7% |
| 2024 | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.5% |
| 2026 | 2.8% |
| 2027 | 3.6% |
Who gets it: everyone receiving Social Security retirement, disability or survivor benefits, and the federal SSI payment. About 76 million people in all (some get both). State SSI supplements are set separately.
The raise in dollars
Social Security’s estimates of average monthly benefits paid in January 2027:
| Who | Before the raise | After the raise |
|---|---|---|
| All retired workers | $2,095 | $2,170 |
| Aged couple, both receiving benefits | $3,238 | $3,355 |
| Widowed mother and two children | $3,932 | $4,074 |
| Aged widow or widower alone | $1,936 | $2,005 |
| Disabled worker, spouse and one or more children | $2,970 | $3,077 |
| All disabled workers | $1,642 | $1,701 |
SSI federal payment, 2027: $1,029 a month for an individual, $1,544 for a couple (up from $994 and $1,491). Some states add a supplement.
These are averages before any deductions, not a prediction for any one person. Your own amount is on your COLA notice.
Why your deposit may rise less: Medicare Part B
If you are on Medicare, your Part B premium is probably taken straight out of your Social Security payment. Next year’s premium comes out of next year’s benefit, so a higher premium eats part of the raise.
The 2026 standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month, up $17.90 from 2025. The 2027 premium has not been announced. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) usually publishes it in November; the 2026 figure came out on November 14, 2025. Until it is out, no one can tell you your exact net raise. Treat any precise “your check will be” number you see before then as a guess.
People with higher incomes pay more for Part B, an income-related amount set from the tax return you filed two years earlier. If that is you, your deduction will be larger than the standard premium.
Hold harmless: who it protects
A rule in the Social Security Act, known as hold harmless, keeps a protected person’s January payment from being lower than December’s solely because the standard Part B premium went up. Your payment can stay flat. It cannot go down because Part B went up.
Hold harmless does not cover you if:
- You are new to Medicare Part B in 2027
- You pay the higher, income-related Part B premium
- You do not have the premium deducted from your Social Security
- Your state Medicaid program pays your Part B premium (then it never came out of your check)
It covers Part B only. If you have a Medicare drug plan (Part D) or Medicare Advantage premium taken from your Social Security, an increase in that premium is not covered, and your payment can go down. Check your plan’s 2027 Annual Notice of Change, and compare plans during open enrollment, which runs to December 7.
Taxes on your Social Security benefits
Up to 85% of your Social Security can count as federal taxable income. That is the share that gets taxed at your normal rate, not an 85% tax rate. It depends on your “combined income”: your adjusted gross income, plus tax-exempt interest, plus half of your Social Security.
| Filing status | Up to 50% taxable | Up to 85% taxable |
|---|---|---|
| Single, head of household | Combined income $25,000 to $34,000 | Above $34,000 |
| Married filing jointly | $32,000 to $44,000 | Above $44,000 |
These limits are not adjusted for inflation. They have been the same for decades, so each raise can push a few more people over a line. To have tax taken out of your benefit, file Form W-4V with Social Security to withhold 7%, 10%, 12% or 22%.
Your COLA notice: when it arrives
Social Security sends every beneficiary a notice with the new amount. For 2027 it is a simplified one-page notice that gives your new benefit and any deductions.
- Online: starting in late November or early December, in the Message Center of your my Social Security account, if you turned on paperless notices by November 18, 2026.
- By mail: during December. Social Security asks people to wait until January before calling about a missing notice.
How to read it: look for three lines. Your new benefit before deductions. The amount taken out for Medicare (and any tax you chose to withhold). The amount you will actually be paid. That last line is your real raise.
January 2027 payment dates
SSI: the first higher payment arrives Thursday, December 31, 2026, because January 1 is a holiday.
Social Security is paid on a Wednesday based on your birthday:
| Your birthday falls on | Paid on |
|---|---|
| The 1st to the 10th | Wednesday, January 13, 2027 |
| The 11th to the 20th | Wednesday, January 20, 2027 |
| The 21st to the 31st | Wednesday, January 27, 2027 |
Most people paid on the 3rd started benefits before May 1997 or get both Social Security and SSI. January 3, 2027 is a Sunday, so that payment comes on Thursday, December 31, 2026. Your exact dates are in your account under “View benefit payment schedule.”
If you are still working
If you collect retirement or survivor benefits before your full retirement age and keep working, Social Security holds back part of your benefit when your earnings pass a limit. The limits rise for 2027.
| Your situation | 2027 limit | What is held back |
|---|---|---|
| Under full retirement age all year | $25,560 | $1 for every $2 above the limit |
| The year you reach full retirement age | $67,920 | $1 for every $3 above the limit, counting only months before your birthday month |
| From the month you reach full retirement age | No limit | Nothing |
Money held back is generally not lost. Once you reach full retirement age, Social Security recalculates your benefit to credit the months it withheld.
The raise is always automatic
Scammers use the COLA every year. They call, text or mail people saying the raise must be “activated,” “confirmed” or “claimed,” and ask for a payment, a gift card or your personal information. The Social Security Office of the Inspector General is plain about it: the annual cost-of-living increases are always automatic. If someone asks you to activate your raise, hang up, give them nothing, and report it at oig.ssa.gov/report.
The mistakes that cost the most
- Budgeting on 3.6%. If you are on Medicare, the headline percentage is not your payment. Plan around the bottom line of your notice.
- Calling in December because the letter has not come. Notices are mailed all month. Wait until January, or check online.
- Forgetting the drug plan. Hold harmless covers Part B only. A higher Part D premium taken from your check can lower your payment.
- Forgetting taxes. Near the limits, the raise can make more of your benefit taxable. Review your withholding.
- Missing the earnings limit. If you are under full retirement age and working, check your 2027 earnings against $25,560.
Related GovClarity guides
- How to Apply for Social Security Benefits in 2027 (Apply 4 Months Early)
- Check That Medicare Letter Before December 7 (2027 Medicare Changes)
- Social Security Card Replacement 2027: Save This Number
- Social Security Survivor Benefits 2026: The Strategy Most Widows Miss
Official resources
- 2027 COLA facts and figures: ssa.gov/cola
- Your Social Security account: ssa.gov/myaccount
- Social Security by phone: 1-800-772-1213, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (TTY 1-800-325-0778)
- Medicare costs for 2027: medicare.gov
- Medicare by phone: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (TTY 1-877-486-2048)
- Report a Social Security scam: oig.ssa.gov/report
Download the free guide
Our free 16-page guide has the full payment calendar, average benefits before and after the raise, hold harmless in detail, the tax and earnings limits, and a worksheet to figure out your real raise. No email required. Find more on our Free Government Guides page.
GovClarity is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or any government agency. Facts were checked against ssa.gov, cms.gov and irs.gov through October 18, 2026. The 2027 Medicare Part B premium had not been announced at that date. Confirm details on the official pages.
