When will the 2027 Social Security COLA be announced?

On the morning of October 14, 2026, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the September Consumer Price Index at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The Social Security Administration announces the adjustment the same day, and it takes effect with the January 2027 payments.

How is the COLA calculated?

It compares the average CPI-W for July, August and September 2026 with the same three-month average from 2025, which is fixed at 317.265. The percentage increase, rounded to one decimal place, is the COLA. If there is no increase, benefits stay the same.

Can I know the 2027 COLA now?

Not yet. Only the July 2026 figure of 327.104 is published; August and September carry equal weight in the average, so any number quoted before October 14 is an estimate. This page carries the official figure the morning it is announced.

Money & Benefits · Tracker

Social Security COLA 2027 tracker

The 2027 cost-of-living adjustment: when it is announced, what it is based on, where the numbers stand, and every COLA since 2015.

By Mirza Seraj Baig, Founder and EditorPublished September 5, 2026

Last verified Sep 5, 2026, 5:42 AM EDT · refreshed on-event

The Social Security Administration announces the next year’s cost-of-living adjustment once the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the September Consumer Price Index. The adjustment is the percentage increase in the average CPI-W for July, August and September over the same average in the last year that had a COLA, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. It takes effect with December benefits, which are paid in January; the federal SSI rate rises by the same percentage with the payment made at the end of December.

For 2027 the base is fixed at 317.265, the third-quarter 2025 average. The September 2026 index is due on October 14, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, and the 2027 row below fills in that day. Until then it stays empty: this site does not publish estimates as figures. What it does publish is the arithmetic so far. The July index of 327.104 stands 3.1 percent above the base; the August index arrives on September 11 and the September index on October 14, and the adjustment is the average of the three against 317.265, rounded to a tenth of a percent. How the COLA is calculated works through the formula with SSA’s own numbers.

Swipe sideways to see every column.

Social Security COLA 2027 tracker
Benefit year	COLA	Takes effect	Source
2,027	—	Announcement expected October 14, 2026	ssa.gov
2,026	2.8%	December 2025 benefits, paid January 2026	ssa.gov
2,025	2.5%	December 2024 benefits, paid January 2025	ssa.gov
2,024	3.2%	December 2023 benefits, paid January 2024	ssa.gov
2,023	8.7%	December 2022 benefits, paid January 2023	ssa.gov
2,022	5.9%	December 2021 benefits, paid January 2022	ssa.gov
2,021	1.3%	December 2020 benefits, paid January 2021	ssa.gov
2,020	1.6%	December 2019 benefits, paid January 2020	ssa.gov
2,019	2.8%	December 2018 benefits, paid January 2019	ssa.gov
2,018	2%	December 2017 benefits, paid January 2018	ssa.gov
2,017	0.3%	December 2016 benefits, paid January 2017	ssa.gov
2,016	0%	No COLA for December 2015	ssa.gov
2,015	1.7%	December 2014 benefits, paid January 2015	ssa.gov

Percentages are from SSA’s COLA series, which lists each adjustment by the December in which it takes effect; the benefit year here is the January in which it first reaches a Social Security payment. Checked against the series on September 4, 2026.Download CSV

What to do

Watch for the September CPI at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on October 14, 2026; the COLA follows the same figure. Official link
Read your own new amount in the Message Center of your my Social Security account in late November. Official link
Check the arithmetic against SSA’s published CPI-W figures. Official link

FactFiled is an independent news publisher. It is not the agency, company or claims administrator named on this page, does not process claims or payments, and never asks readers for account details.

Questions readers ask

When will the 2027 Social Security COLA be announced?: On the morning of October 14, 2026, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the September Consumer Price Index at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The Social Security Administration announces the adjustment the same day, and it takes effect with the January 2027 payments.
How is the COLA calculated?: It compares the average CPI-W for July, August and September 2026 with the same three-month average from 2025, which is fixed at 317.265. The percentage increase, rounded to one decimal place, is the COLA. If there is no increase, benefits stay the same.
Can I know the 2027 COLA now?: Not yet. Only the July 2026 figure of 327.104 is published; August and September carry equal weight in the average, so any number quoted before October 14 is an estimate. This page carries the official figure the morning it is announced.

Dates ahead

September 11, 2026August CPI published, the second of the three COLA months
October 14, 2026September CPI published; 2027 Social Security COLA announced

Background: How the Social Security COLA is calculated

Mentioned:Social Security Administration Social Security

How we reported this

Built from the documents in the Source Card. History checked against SSA’s COLA series on September 4, 2026; the 2027 row waits for the announcement expected on October 14, 2026.

Written by Mirza Seraj Baig · Checked against the documents in the source card (editorial standards).

Updates

September 5, 2026History checked against SSA’s COLA series on September 4, 2026; the 2027 row waits for the announcement expected on October 14, 2026.