Social Security COLA 2027: 3.6% Raise, New Benefit Amounts and Payment Dates

On October 14, 2026, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027. Nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries see the increase with benefits paid in January 2027, while about 7.3 million people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) see it with the payment dated December 31, 2026. On average, a retired worker’s monthly benefit rises about $75, from $2,095 to $2,170.

January 2027 payment dates

Most Social Security payments follow your birth date. Here are the scheduled payment dates associated with January 2027, including early payments on December 31, 2026.

Who	January 2027 payment arrives
SSI recipients	December 31, 2026
Paid on the 3rd of the month (benefits started before May 1997, or receiving both Social Security and SSI)	December 31, 2026
Birthdays on the 1st–10th	January 13, 2027 (2nd Wednesday)
Birthdays on the 11th–20th	January 20, 2027 (3rd Wednesday)
Birthdays on the 21st–31st	January 27, 2027 (4th Wednesday)

A few scheduling notes:

• The January SSI payment arrives December 31, 2026, because January 1 is a federal holiday — SSA states that when January 1 is a holiday, January’s SSI payment is always made at the end of the previous December.
• The 3rd-of-the-month payment also lands on December 31, 2026: January 3, 2027 is a Sunday, and January 1 is a federal holiday, so SSA’s shift rule moves the payment to the preceding business day — December 31, 2026.
• When any scheduled payment date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, SSA moves the payment to the business day before — payments are never pushed later. If a payment hasn’t arrived by the expected date, SSA asks beneficiaries to allow three additional mailing days before contacting the agency.

What 3.6% means for your check

These worked examples are illustrative only: they apply the official 3.6% COLA and assume your benefit equals your primary insurance amount (roughly, that you claimed at full retirement age) with no deductions. Read “How SSA actually computes your new amount” below for why your real figure may differ slightly.

Current monthly benefit	Illustrative new amount	Gain per month	Gain per year
$1,000	$1,036	$36	$432
$1,500	$1,554	$54	$648
$3,000	$3,108	$108	$1,296

How much more you’ll get

SSA’s estimated average monthly benefits payable in January 2027:

Beneficiary	Before COLA	After 3.6% COLA	Monthly increase
All retired workers	$2,095	$2,170	$75
Aged couple, both receiving benefits	$3,238	$3,355	$117
Widowed mother and two children	$3,932	$4,074	$142
Aged widow(er) alone	$1,936	$2,005	$69
Disabled worker, spouse, one or more children	$2,970	$3,077	$107
All disabled workers	$1,642	$1,701	$59

Every 2027 figure that changed

Figure	2026	2027
Maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax	$184,500	$192,300
Employee Social Security tax at the maximum	$11,439.00	$11,922.60
Earnings test — under full retirement age	$24,480/yr ($2,040/mo)	$25,560/yr ($2,130/mo)
Earnings test — year you reach full retirement age	$65,160/yr ($5,430/mo)	$67,920/yr ($5,660/mo)
Earnings needed for one work credit	$1,890	$1,970
Substantial gainful activity (non-blind)	$1,690/mo	$1,770/mo
Substantial gainful activity (blind)	$2,830/mo	$2,950/mo
Trial work period	$1,210/mo	$1,270/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
SSI student exclusion — monthly / annual	$2,410 / $9,730	$2,500 / $10,080
Tax rates (employee / self-employed)	7.65% / 15.30%	7.65% / 15.30% (unchanged)

A few notes on the fine print:

• The 6.2% Social Security payroll tax applies only up to the taxable maximum ($192,300 in 2027). The 1.45% Medicare hospital insurance tax has no cap and is unchanged.
• The additional 0.9% Medicare tax still applies to earned income above $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly). Those thresholds are set by law and are not indexed to inflation.
• The retirement earnings test: under full retirement age all year, SSA withholds $1 for every $2 earned above the limit; in the year you reach full retirement age, $1 for every $3 earned above the limit, counting only months before your birthday month. If you’re at full retirement age for the entire year, there is no limit.

How the 3.6% was calculated

The Social Security Act ties the COLA to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), computed monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The COLA equals the percentage increase in the average CPI-W for the third quarter of the current year over the average for the third quarter of the last year a COLA took effect (Q3 2025), rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.

SSA’s math: (328.746 − 317.265) ÷ 317.265 × 100 = 3.6187%, which rounds to 3.6%.

How SSA actually computes your new amount

SSA does not simply multiply your check by 1.036. The actual process, described by SSA in its explainer Application of COLA to a Retirement Benefit, is:

1. The COLA is applied to your primary insurance amount (PIA) — the benefit based on your earnings record — and the result is truncated to the next lower dime. SSA’s own example: a PIA of $2,197.50 increased by 3.6% becomes $2,276.60 after truncation.
2. An adjustment factor for early or delayed claiming is applied to the new PIA, again truncated to the next lower dime.
3. Offsets are subtracted — most commonly the Medicare Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) premium deducted from your check.
4. The result is truncated to the next lower whole dollar.

Because of the truncation steps and any deductions, SSA notes that your actual monthly increase may differ somewhat from a straight 3.6%.

What the raise doesn’t change

• Medicare premiums: The 2027 standard Medicare Part B premium has not yet been finalized by CMS as of this article’s publication. (CMS has already published 2027 information for some Medicare Advantage and Part D premiums.) Treat any 2027 premium figure you see elsewhere as preliminary. A higher Part B premium can offset part of the COLA — your COLA notice will show your exact net amount.
• No action needed: The COLA is automatic. Watch for scams: nobody from SSA will call or email asking for payment or personal details to “activate” the increase.
• Taxes on benefits: A bigger benefit can affect whether part of your Social Security counts as taxable income at tax time, since those thresholds don’t move with inflation.
• The earnings test still applies if you claimed early and keep working — the higher 2027 limits above are what count.

Frequently asked questions

I get both Social Security and SSI — when am I paid?
You follow two schedules: your SSI on the 1st-of-the-month schedule and your Social Security on the 3rd-of-the-month schedule. For January 2027, both payments land on December 31, 2026 — see the payment-date table above.

My neighbor’s payment arrives on a different Wednesday — is something wrong?
No. Wednesday payment dates depend on the birthday of the worker whose record the benefit is paid on: the 1st–10th are paid on the second Wednesday, the 11th–20th on the third, and the 21st–31st on the fourth. Spousal and survivor benefits follow the worker’s birthday, not yours.

Why did I get two SSI deposits in December 2026?
December 1 was December’s SSI payment; December 31 is January 2027’s SSI payment arriving early because January 1 is a federal holiday. It is not a bonus payment.

How do I find my exact new amount?
Sign in to your my Social Security account (paperless notices, enrolled by November 18, 2026) to see your COLA notice online starting in late November, or wait for the mailed notice in December. The notice shows your exact new benefit amount and any deductions.