Benefit Day

2027 Social Security COLA calculator

Enter what you get now to see your January 2027 payment after the cost-of-living adjustment and Medicare.

Updated

Forecast The official figure is due October 14, 2026

It's on your benefit letter or in your my Social Security account. The average retired worker gets about $2,086.

Which COLA forecast?

The 2027 premium hasn't been announced, so this uses the 2026 amount of $202.90. Change it if yours is different.

Your estimated January 2027 payment

Benefit now$2,086.00
COLA increase at 3.5%+ $73.01
New benefit, rounded down to the dime$2,159.00
Medicare Part B− $202.90
Paid to you$1,956.10

That's +$73.00 a month compared with what reaches you now.

Estimate only. It doesn't include tax withholding, Medicare Part D or the higher Medicare premiums some people with high incomes pay (IRMAA).

How the COLA is decided

The increase equals the rise in the CPI-W inflation index for July, August and September, compared with the same three months a year earlier. SSA publishes it on the day the September inflation figures come out, which for 2027 is October 14, 2026.

When you'll see it

Social Security payments include the increase from January 2027. SSI recipients see it slightly earlier, because January's SSI arrives on Thursday, December 31, 2026. Check your exact date on the 2027 schedule.

Why your raise may look smaller

The percentage applies to your benefit before Medicare. If the Part B premium also goes up, part of the raise goes to Medicare, so the change in the money that reaches your bank can be smaller than the COLA suggests.

Sources: SSA cost-of-living adjustment; The Senior Citizens League; Mary Johnson, independent analyst; AARP; CMS 2026 Part B premium. The 2026 COLA was 2.8%.

Get a reminder before your payment

One short email the day before your payment, and one when the official 2027 COLA is announced. Nothing else, and you can stop them with one click.

Email reminders open soon.