2027 Social Security COLA announcement live: Official percentage and how much your checks will increase by

The SSA works out its annual COLA using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

Released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics each month, the CPI-W is an inflation tracker that focuses on costs such as housing, food and transportation.

The SSA compares the CPI-W for July, August and September in the past and current years, and applies the percentage difference – assuming it’s positive – as the COLA for the following year.

Social Security 2027 COLA announcement: How much extra money will retirees get each month?

For a full report on the projected COLA percentage for 2027, check out this piece by AS USA’s Greg Heilman.

Another prominent seniors’ group, AARP, has come in with a very similar prediction.

As of the middle of September, AARP was projecting a 3.6% rise in Social Security and SSI benefits.

The Senior Citizens League, a major non-partisan advocacy group for seniors in the U.S., has been releasing its projection throughout the year.

TSCL's latest forecast, published in mid-September, predicted a COLA of 3.5%.

When exactly will the 2027 COLA take effect?

The adjustment will be applied to Social Security and SSI benefits from January 2027’s monthly payments.

The SSA’s January distribution schedule is:

Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026: Beneficiaries since pre-May 1997/who also get SSIWednesday, Jan. 13, 2027: Beneficiaries born 1st-10th of any monthWednesday, Jan. 20, 2027: Beneficiaries born 11th-20th of any monthWednesday, Jan. 27, 2027: Beneficiaries born 21st-31st of any month

Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026: All SSI beneficiaries

More than 75 million affected by 2027 COLA

It’s possible to claim both Social Security and SSI at the same time; indeed, just over 2.5 million Americans do just that, per the SSA’s latest count.

So all in all, a combined total of around 76 million SSA benefits recipients stand to be impacted by today’s COLA announcement.

Who exactly is impacted by the Social Security COLA?

The COLA will affect payments sent out to recipients of Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits.

According to the latest figures released by the SSA, there were around 71.5 beneficiaries of the Social Security program as of August 2026:

Retirement benefits: 57.8 million Disability benefits: 5.8 million Survivor benefits: 7.9 million

The COLA is also applied to payments issued under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. While also run by the SSA, SSI is separate to Social Security; it’s a needs-based scheme for certain low-income Americans.

As of August 2026, SSI had 7.3 million beneficiaries.

The SSA is expected to announce the COLA at some point today after the U.S.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals its Consumer Price Index data for September.

The BLS is scheduled to publish that data at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT.

Good morning. Today, Wednesday October 14, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is scheduled to announce its latest annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

It’s a measure that affects the more than 70 million beneficiaries of the Social Security program – chiefly retirees, who make up more than three quarters of the scheme’s claimants.

We’ll be building up to today’s announcement, before bringing you details of the confirmed COLA just as soon as they drop.