The 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, has not been officially announced. Current projections suggest 3.6%, but the Social Security Administration will announce the actual increase in October 2026. A COLA adjusts Social Security and Supplemental Security Income payments for inflation. Because two of the three required monthly inflation readings remain outstanding, retirees should treat every published percentage as an estimate.
Official resources:
- Explore the official data from Bls — Use this primary source to review the underlying data.
- Explore the official data from Bls — Use this primary source to review the underlying data.
Table of Contents
- What is the latest 2027 COLA estimate?
- When will the official COLA be announced?
- How does SSA calculate the COLA?
- What would a 3.6% COLA mean for your benefit?
- Who receives the adjustment, and when?
What is the latest 2027 COLA estimate?
The Senior Citizens League projected a 3.6% cola after the July inflation report. The organization emphasizes that this is a model estimate, not an SSA decision, and that August and September inflation could change it before the official announcement. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a July 2026 CPI-W reading of 327.104, up 3.4% from a year earlier.
July is only the first month used in the final calculation. That distinction matters. A forecast can help with preliminary budgeting, but it cannot establish what beneficiaries will receive.
When will the official COLA be announced?
The SSA says it will announce the next COLA in October 2026 on its official COLA summary page. No earlier estimate carries the same authority. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release august 2026 CPI data on September 11 and September 2026 data on October 14, according to its CPI release calendar.
Those releases will supply the remaining inflation data needed for the calculation. Readers should be cautious when an article labels a projection as "confirmed" before the SSA announcement. The official percentage cannot be calculated without all three third-quarter readings.
How does SSA calculate the COLA?
Federal law bases the COLA on the CPI-W, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. SSA compares the average CPI-W for July, August, and September with the applicable comparison quarter. The percentage change is rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a percent.
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If the calculation shows no increase, there is no COLA, as explained in the SSA's official methodology. This formula also explains why July's 3.4% year-over-year reading does not determine the COLA by itself. The calculation uses quarterly averages, not one month's annual inflation rate.
What would a 3.6% COLA mean for your benefit?
The Senior Citizens League estimates that a 3.6% adjustment would add $69.75 to its cited average benefit of $1,937.53. That would raise the amount to $2,007.28.
Your increase would depend on your own benefit, not that average. For a rough estimate, multiply your current monthly benefit by 0.036, then add the result to the current amount. For planning purposes:.
- Treat the result as provisional.
- Recalculate after the October SSA announcement.
- Use your actual benefit rather than a national or organizational average.
- Avoid committing the projected increase to fixed expenses before the percentage is official.
Who receives the adjustment, and when?
COLAs apply to both Social Security's Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance programs and Supplemental Security Income. The closest completed benchmark is the official 2.8% COLA for 2026, which affected about 71 million Social Security beneficiaries and about 7.5 million SSI recipients.
Under SSA's established timing, a Social Security increase effective in December is payable in January. SSI payment dates can differ because of the calendar, so recipients should check the applicable payment timing once SSA publishes the official 2027 information.
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