The Social Security Administration will announce the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, on October 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The announcement date aligns with the release of September inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is needed to calculate the annual benefit adjustment for nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries.
Current forecasts suggest the 2027 COLA will fall between 3.4% and 3.6%, according to recent projections from AARP and the Senior Citizens League. That would mark a significant increase from the 2.8% adjustment beneficiaries received in 2026, though still below the 3.8% forecast issued in June as inflation cooled over the summer months.
The Social Security COLA is calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W, which tracks inflation for wage earners and clerical workers. The Social Security Administration compares the average CPI-W from July, August, and September of the prior year to determine the percentage increase applied to all benefits beginning in January of the following year.
If the 3.6% forecast holds, the average retired worker’s monthly benefit would increase by approximately $75, raising it to roughly $2,146 from the current average of $2,071, according to recent analyses. A 3.4% adjustment would result in a smaller monthly increase of about $70.
The October 14 announcement date follows the pattern established for the 2026 COLA, which was announced on October 24, 2025, after being delayed by a government shutdown. The Social Security Administration typically announces the COLA in mid-to-late October, coinciding with the release of the prior month’s CPI data. Three key inflation reports will precede the official announcement: July’s CPI data (released August 14), August’s CPI data (scheduled for September 11), and September’s CPI data (due October 14), each offering early signals about the likely adjustment.
The 3.6% forecast, if confirmed, would rank as the 19th highest COLA since 1977, according to the Senior Citizens League. The historical average COLA has been approximately 2.6% over the past two decades, making a 3.6% increase notably above the long-term norm and well above the 2.5% and 2.8% adjustments of 2025 and 2026, respectively.
For retirees and other beneficiaries, the timing of the announcement allows roughly 2.5 months to plan for the new benefit amount before payments increase in January 2027. Many recipients rely on the COLA to help offset rising costs for housing, food, healthcare, and other essentials, though some financial advisors note that the adjustment may not fully cover increases in certain cost categories, particularly energy and housing.
Sources
- Social Security Administration — confirmed October 14, 2026 announcement date and explained COLA calculation methodology
- AARP — provided 3.5% to 3.6% COLA forecast and analysis of inflation data
- Senior Citizens League — provided 3.6% COLA forecast and historical ranking context
- U.S. News & World Report, CNBC, USA Today, CBS News — reported recent COLA forecasts and inflation trends affecting 2027 projections
- The Hill, Kiplinger — provided context on announcement timing and prior year precedent
