Social Security checks will go up 3.6 percent in 2027. The Social Security Administration announced the cost-of-living adjustment Wednesday, adding about $75 a month for the average retired worker.
Nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries will see the raise in benefits payable in January 2027. About 7.3 million people who get Supplemental Security Income will see higher payments beginning Dec. 31, 2026. Some people receive both.
What changes
- COLA: 3.6 percent for 2027, up from 2.8 percent for 2026.
- Average retiree: About $75 more per month, lifting the estimated average monthly benefit from $2,095 to $2,170, according to SSA figures reported with the announcement.
- Taxable maximum: The earnings subject to Social Security tax rise to $192,300 in 2027.
- Earnings limits: Workers under full retirement age can earn up to $25,560 in 2027 before benefits are reduced. People reaching full retirement age in 2027 can earn up to $67,920 before the stricter reduction ends.
How the number is set
By law, the COLA tracks the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures that index. SSA then applies the third-quarter change from one year to the next.
Automatic annual COLAs began in 1975 so inflation does not quietly cut the buying power of fixed benefits. Beneficiaries can view COLA notices online in late November through their my Social Security Message Center.
Southeast Arkansas angle
Retirees and disabled workers across Monticello, Warren, Crossett, Dumas, Star City and the rest of Southeast Arkansas rely on these payments for rent, groceries and medicine. A larger COLA than last year’s 2.8 percent tracks the same price pressure that showed up in Wednesday’s consumer-price report.
Sources
- Social Security Administration: Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2027, updated Oct. 14, 2026.
- One America News / Washington Times: Social Security recipients to get 3.6% cost of living boost; Social Security checks to see 3.6% cost-of-living increase next year, Oct. 14, 2026.
- Townhall: Your Social Security Benefits Are About to Go Up, Oct. 14, 2026.
File photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, Washington, D.C.).
