Skip to content
IRMAA Tracker

Social Security COLA 2027: where it stands today

2027 COLA if September = August

3.4%

2026: 2.8%

CPI-W published so far for Q3 2026

  • July 2026: 327.104
  • August 2026: 328.481
  • September 2026: released October 14, 2026

Base: Q3 2025 average 317.265 (SSA).

What September has to do

Two of the three months are known, so the range is narrow. The table shows the September CPI-W needed for each result. For scale, the largest month-to-month move of the CPI-W over the last 12 published months was 1.28% (not seasonally adjusted, like the series SSA uses).

COLA 2027September CPI-W at leastvs August
3.2% 326.191 -0.70%
3.3% 327.145 -0.41%
3.4% 328.096 -0.12%
3.5% 329.047 0.17%
3.6% 329.998 0.46%

Your 2027 check after the COLA, Part B and IRMAA

The gross amount on your 2026 benefit letter, before Medicare premiums and tax withholding.

Our projection with September CPI-W equal to August. Change it to test other values.

Not published yet: 2026’s 202.90 is prefilled. Put your own estimate.

Drug or Medicare Advantage plan premium, federal tax withholding. Assumed unchanged.

Enter your monthly benefit to compare this year’s and next year’s deposits.

How the numbers above are produced

Each time this site is rebuilt, a script downloads the CPI-W series (CWUR0000SA0) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The build then recomputes the third-quarter averages SSA published for 2024 and 2025 (308.729 and 317.265) and stops if they do not match, so a bad download cannot reach this page. The COLA follows SSA’s method: average of July, August and September rounded to 0.001, percentage increase rounded to 0.1.

COLA and IRMAA: the same inflation, two different indexes

The COLA follows the CPI-W; the IRMAA thresholds follow the CPI-U over a different 12-month window. Both usually rise, but IRMAA uses your income from two years earlier. A COLA raises your taxable Social Security, and with it your MAGI, so a large COLA can push someone just under a threshold over it two years later. Check your margin with the IRMAA calculator.

The “hold harmless” rule, precisely

Social Security Act §1839(f): if you received benefits for November and December, had the Part B premium deducted from them, and do not pay IRMAA in January, the standard premium increase cannot lower your December benefit (paid in January) below your November one after the premium. The calculator above applies this test.

COLA history

Since 1975 (SSA). Last 12 years below; the full list follows.

ReceivedCOLA
January 20262.8%
January 20252.5%
January 20243.2%
January 20238.7%
January 20225.9%
January 20211.3%
January 20201.6%
January 20192.8%
January 20182.0%
January 20170.3%
January 20160.0%
January 20151.7%
All COLAs since 1975
ReceivedCOLA
January 20262.8%
January 20252.5%
January 20243.2%
January 20238.7%
January 20225.9%
January 20211.3%
January 20201.6%
January 20192.8%
January 20182.0%
January 20170.3%
January 20160.0%
January 20151.7%
January 20141.5%
January 20131.7%
January 20123.6%
January 20110.0%
January 20100.0%
January 20095.8%
January 20082.3%
January 20073.3%
January 20064.1%
January 20052.7%
January 20042.1%
January 20031.4%
January 20022.6%
January 20013.5%
January 2000Originally 2.4%; effectively 2.5% under Public Law 106-554 (SSA).2.5%
January 19991.3%
January 19982.1%
January 19972.9%
January 19962.6%
January 19952.8%
January 19942.6%
January 19933.0%
January 19923.7%
January 19915.4%
January 19904.7%
January 19894.0%
January 19884.2%
January 19871.3%
January 19863.1%
January 19853.5%
January 19843.5%
July 19827.4%
July 198111.2%
July 198014.3%
July 19799.9%
July 19786.5%
July 19775.9%
July 19766.4%
July 19758.0%

1975–1982 increases were effective for June benefits, received in July. After 1982, COLAs are effective for December benefits, received in January (hence no increase received during 1983).

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 COLA announced?
SSA can compute it as soon as the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the September CPI-W, scheduled for October 14, 2026. The increase applies to benefits for December 2026, paid in January 2027. For the 2026 COLA, SSA paid the increased SSI amount from December 31, 2025.
How is the COLA calculated?
SSA compares the average CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) of July, August and September with the same average for the last year a COLA took effect, and rounds the increase to the nearest tenth of a percent. For the 2026 COLA: (317.265 − 308.729) / 308.729 = 2.8%. If the average does not rise, or the rounded increase is zero, there is no COLA for the year.
Why does my check go up less than the COLA?
Because the Part B premium is taken out of the same payment, and it usually rises too. SSA also rounds the payment down to the whole dollar after deducting the premium. Most people are protected by the “hold harmless” rule: the standard Part B increase cannot make their deposit smaller. People who pay IRMAA, new enrollees and people whose premium is not deducted from their benefit are not protected.
Does the COLA apply to SSI too?
Yes. SSA applies the same percentage to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income; the 2.8% COLA for 2026 covered both.
What are the 2.8% COLA's other 2026 figures?
Taxable maximum $184,500. Earnings test: $24,480 a year if you are under full retirement age all year ($1 withheld for every $2 above), $65,160 in the year you reach full retirement age ($1 for every $3 above, until the month you reach it). No limit from full retirement age on.

Official sources

Sources read on September 29, 2026. Consumer Price Index data downloaded from the BLS on September 29, 2026.

Page updated . Official figures checked against CMS and SSA on September 29, 2026.