Social Security COLA CPI Report: What You Get In January, Payment Dates, Official Links

Updated November 13, 2026

Social Security COLA CPI Report: Social Security benefits will rise 3.6% in January 2027. The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the number on October 14, the same morning the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released September’s consumer price data. It’s the largest cost-of-living adjustment since 2023, and a clear step up from this year’s 2.8%.

For the average retired worker, that works out to about $75 more per month, moving the typical check from $2,095 to $2,170. You don’t need to apply for anything. The catch is that the headline percentage isn’t what hits your bank account. Medicare’s Part B premium usually comes out of the check first, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hasn’t published the official 2027 premium yet. Here’s where everything stands today.

Key Updates

• The 2027 COLA is 3.6%, applied automatically to Social Security and SSI.
• SSI recipients get the higher payment on December 31, 2026. Social Security recipients see it in January 2027.
• The official 2027 Part B premium is still pending. The Medicare Trustees projected $209.50, up from $202.90.
• Your personal COLA notice should arrive in early December, and you can read it online in your my Social Security account.

How the CPI report sets your raise

The COLA isn’t a decision anyone makes. It’s arithmetic written into law. SSA takes the average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for July, August and September, compares it with the same three months a year earlier, and rounds the percentage change to the nearest tenth.

This year, the third-quarter average was 328.746, against 317.265 in 2025. That’s a gap of 11.481 points, or 3.62%, which rounds to 3.6%. No vote, no negotiation.

Two things confuse people every year. First, the COLA uses a three-month average, not the September reading alone. Second, it uses CPI-W, not the CPI-U you hear about in the monthly inflation headlines. The two usually move together, but they aren’t identical.

What pushed the number up

September did most of the damage. According to BLS, energy prices jumped 5.2% that month, and gasoline alone climbed 9.1%. Over the 12 months through September, overall consumer prices were up 3.7%.

Because the COLA averages three months, September’s spike only counts as one third of the picture. That’s why the raise (3.6%) landed below the 12-month inflation figure. If gas prices stay high, the effect shows up in next year’s calculation rather than this one.

What the October CPI report added

BLS released the October report on November 10, and it came in a little hot. Overall prices rose 0.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis, and core prices (everything except food and energy) rose 0.3%. Energy was up another 0.7%, and gasoline gained 1.0% after September’s jump, although before seasonal adjustment gas prices actually slipped 0.7%.

One odd detail: BLS didn’t publish a 12-month inflation rate for most of the index this time. The October 2025 survey was never conducted during last year’s government shutdown, so there’s no year-ago number to compare against. Gasoline is one of the few categories that still has a yearly figure, and it was up 37.4% from October 2025.

None of this changes your 2027 raise. That number is locked. What it does is set the stage for the 2028 COLA, which will compare July–September 2027 prices against that 328.746 average. The next CPI report, covering November, is scheduled for December 10.

How 3.6% compares with recent years

SSA says the COLA averaged about 3.1% over the decade through 2026. The lowest adjustments on record were 0.0%, which happened in 2010, 2011 and 2016. Not everyone is celebrating, either. Policy analyst Mary Johnson has pointed out that for many retirees, the costs they actually face are rising faster than the increase.

What the raise looks like in dollars

SSA published estimated average benefits for January 2027. These are group averages, so your own number depends on your earnings record and when you claimed.

What you’ll actually take home: Medicare Part B

Most people on Medicare have the Part B premium taken straight out of their Social Security check, so the premium decides how much of the raise you keep.

The standard premium is $202.90 a month in 2026. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects $209.50 for 2027, an increase of $6.60. The Part B deductible, $283 this year, is projected at about $292. Those are projections, not final numbers. CMS announced the 2026 figures on November 14, 2025, so a mid-November release is the usual pattern, but as of November 11 nothing official had come out. Private forecasters have floated higher numbers, in the $216 to $219 range, so it’s smart not to treat $209.50 as a promise.

Here’s what the raise looks like if you pay the standard premium and the Trustees’ projection holds:

Because the premium increase is a flat dollar amount, it takes a bigger bite out of smaller checks. At $1,500 a month, it eats about 12% of your raise. At $3,500, it’s closer to 5%. And if the real premium lands near $216, the average retiree’s net gain drops to roughly $62.

Higher earners may pay more through income-related adjustments (IRMAA). Those brackets, along with the Part A deductible, are also waiting on CMS.

On the prescription side, some 2027 numbers are already official. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 and the standard deductible is $700. Medicare open enrollment runs through December 7, so if you want to change plans for 2027, that’s your window.

When the money arrives

Social Security pays a month behind, so the January deposit covers December benefits. Timing depends on your birthday:

The SSI payment on December 31 isn’t a bonus. It’s the regular January payment arriving early because January 1 is a federal holiday. Since January 3, 2027 falls on a Sunday and January 1 is a holiday, people on the “3rd of the month” schedule should check their my Social Security account for the exact date. It may land on December 31 as well.

Other 2027 numbers that changed

The same announcement updated a batch of limits that matter to workers and people on disability.

Payroll tax rates don’t change. Employees pay 7.65% (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare), and the self-employed pay 15.3%. Earners above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) still owe the extra 0.9% Medicare tax. SSI resource limits stay at $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.

If you’re still working while collecting before full retirement age, remember the earnings test: SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn over the limit.

Will your benefits be taxed?

Possibly. The tax depends on your “combined income” (adjusted gross income, plus tax-exempt interest, plus half your Social Security). Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable at higher incomes. The thresholds, $25,000 for single filers and $32,000 for joint filers at the 50% level, have never been adjusted for inflation, so each COLA nudges a few more retirees into paying. A tax professional can run your numbers.

Is CPI-W the right yardstick?

The Senior Citizens League argues it isn’t. CPI-W reflects the spending of working households, which means gasoline and electronics carry heavy weight, while housing and medical care, the big costs for older adults, count for less. The group wants Congress to switch to CPI-E, an experimental index built around seniors’ spending. Defenders of the current system say CPI-W has been the law for decades and a change would create winners and losers. Either way, it would take an act of Congress, and nothing in this year’s announcement moves that conversation forward.

The trust fund backdrop

The COLA itself is guaranteed by law, but the program behind it faces a long-term funding gap. The 2026 Trustees Report, released June 9, projects the retirement trust fund (OASI) will run out of reserves in the fourth quarter of 2032. At that point, incoming payroll taxes would cover about 78% of scheduled retirement benefits. Treating the retirement and disability funds as one pool, the depletion date is the third quarter of 2034, unchanged from last year’s report. These are projections, not cuts that have happened, and Congress has plenty of ways to change the outcome.

What to do between now and January

1. Sign in to your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Your COLA notice shows up there, and you can turn on text or email alerts.
2. Confirm your address and direct deposit details. A wrong bank account is the most common reason a payment goes missing.
3. Watch for the CMS announcement. Once the 2027 Part B premium is official, recalculate your net raise.
4. Review your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan before December 7.
5. Budget with the net number, not the headline. A raise of $75 is really closer to $68 after Part B, and possibly less.
6. Wait until mid-December before calling about a missing letter. Notices go out in early December, and paper mail takes a few days.

FAQ’s about Social Security COLA CPI Report

Do I have to apply for the COLA?

No. It’s automatic for retirement, survivor, disability and SSI benefits.

Why is the COLA lower than the 12-month inflation rate?

The COLA averages three months, so September’s price spike counts only partly.

Does SSI get the same raise?

Yes. SSI recipients get 3.6% too, starting with the December 31 payment.

Is the Part B premium final?

Not yet. $209.50 is a Trustees projection until CMS publishes the official figure.