Use this 2027 Social Security COLA calculator to see your new monthly benefit. Social Security benefits rise by 3.6% in 2027. The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on October 14, 2026. This 2027 Social Security COLA calculator shows what that increase means for your own monthly check, before and after the Medicare Part B premium that most retirees have deducted from their benefit.
The figure is official. You can read the announcement on the SSA press release.
What the 2027 COLA is
A COLA is a yearly raise that helps benefits keep up with prices. By law it is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. SSA compares the average CPI-W for July, August and September of this year with the same three months of the year before. The percentage change, rounded to one decimal place, is the COLA.
For 2027 that figure is 3.6%. For comparison, the 2026 COLA was 2.8%. SSA says the average retirement benefit will go up by about $75 a month.
Who gets the increase
- Social Security beneficiaries (retirement, survivors and disability, OASDI): about 72 million people. The raise starts with the benefit paid in January 2027.
- SSI recipients: about 7.3 million people. Their increase starts with the payment dated December 31, 2026, because SSI is paid on the first of the month and January 1 is a holiday.
You do not need to apply. The COLA is automatic. Your notice will be in your my Social Security Message Center from late November (if you opted into paperless notices by November 18, 2026), or it will arrive by mail in December.
How to use the 2027 Social Security COLA calculator
- Enter your current gross monthly benefit. This is the amount before Medicare and tax withholding. It is on your 2026 COLA notice or your SSA-1099.
- Leave the COLA rate at 3.6%, or change it if you want to model a different year.
- Enter your 2026 Part B premium ($202.90 for most people) and your expected 2027 premium. CMS has not published the 2027 premium yet. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects $209.50, and the 2027 Social Security COLA calculator uses that as a placeholder.
- Add any federal tax withholding you have chosen, if you want a net figure.
- Read the results: new gross benefit, monthly and yearly gain, and the estimated net change after Medicare.
The formula
New benefit = current benefit × (1 + 0.036), rounded down to the next lower dime. SSA applies the COLA to your unrounded primary insurance amount, then truncates benefit payments to whole dollars. Because of that, your real notice may differ from this result by a dollar or so.
Net change = (new benefit − 2027 Part B premium) − (current benefit − 2026 Part B premium)
Worked examples
Example 1: average retiree
Maria gets $2,000 a month before deductions. $2,000 × 1.036 = $2,072. Her gross benefit rises by $72 a month, or $864 a year. If her Part B premium goes from $202.90 to the projected $209.50, $6.60 of the raise goes to Medicare, so her net deposit rises by about $65.40.
Example 2: lower benefit, hold-harmless protection
James gets $700 a month. 3.6% is $25.20, giving $725.20. That is more than the $6.60 projected Part B increase, so his net check still rises. Under the “hold-harmless” rule, a Part B increase cannot cut most people’s net Social Security payment below the prior year’s amount. That protection does not cover people who pay IRMAA, new enrollees, or people not having Part B deducted from their benefit.
2027 key figures
| Item | 2026 | 2027 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| COLA | 2.8% | 3.6% | Official (SSA, Oct 14, 2026) |
| Taxable maximum earnings | $184,500 | $192,300 | Official (SSA) |
| Average retirement benefit change | — | About +$75/month | Official SSA estimate |
| Standard Part B premium | $202.90 | $209.50 (projected) | 2027 is an estimate (Trustees Report) |
| First increased payment | — | Jan 2027 (SSI: Dec 31, 2026) | Official |
Other 2027 figures, such as the earnings test limits and the SSI federal payment standard, are listed on the SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet. Check it before using them.
Common mistakes
- Using your net deposit. The COLA applies to your gross benefit, not to the amount left after Medicare and tax.
- Forgetting Medicare. A higher Part B premium, or an IRMAA surcharge, can take a large part of the raise.
- Expecting the money in December. Only SSI recipients get the higher amount on December 31. Social Security benefits rise with the January payment.
- Ignoring tax. Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable, depending on your combined income. A higher benefit can push you over a threshold.
- Treating early forecasts as final. Mid-year forecasts from advocacy groups are estimates. Use 3.6%, the figure SSA announced.
Tips
- Open a my Social Security account to see your exact notice weeks before the mailed copy.
- If your income has dropped because you retired, divorced or lost a spouse, you can ask SSA to lower IRMAA with form SSA-44.
- Review your federal withholding (form W-4V) if a higher benefit could change your tax bill.
- If you are still working and under full retirement age, check the 2027 earnings test limits, as benefits can be withheld temporarily.
What makes this 2027 Social Security COLA calculator different
Most COLA calculators stop at the gross raise. This one also nets out the Part B premium change and flags whether hold-harmless is likely to protect you. That answers the question people actually ask: how much more will land in my bank account in January? Once CMS publishes the official 2027 premium (usually in November), we will replace the projected $209.50 with the final figure.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Related: IRMAA 2027 calculator · senior bonus deduction calculator · retirement calculator.