The Senior Citizens League now projects a Social Security benefit increase 2027 of about 3.6%, citing recent CPI trends that narrowed its earlier forecast, the group’s COLA updates show.
The Senior Citizens League said its COLA projection for 2027 fell to 3.6% after updated inflation data, a change the group posted in its COLA Watch updates and news releases.
Other organizations have published similar estimates: AARP’s analysis also put a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027 in its COLA preview, and BenefitKarma reported the Senior Citizens League’s revised 3.6% estimate.
CBS News summarized what a roughly 3.6% COLA would mean for recipients, estimating it could increase the average monthly Social Security benefit by about $75, based on current benefit levels.
How the COLA is set: the annual increase is tied to changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which is the data series used to calculate Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment.
Advocacy groups and analysts update projections weekly as new CPI-W releases arrive; The Hill and Fox Business noted that recent CPI readings have pushed many forecasts into the mid-3% range for 2027.
That projected Social Security benefit increase 2027 is still an estimate until the Social Security Administration announces the official COLA in October, when the final CPI-W figures for the third quarter are available.
Sources
- The Senior Citizens League — posted COLA Watch updates and a notice saying its 2027 projection fell to about 3.6%.
- AARP — provided an analysis estimating a 3.6% COLA for 2027.
- CBS News — reported that a 3.6% COLA would raise the average monthly benefit by about $75.
- BenefitKarma — published a roundup noting the Senior Citizens League’s 3.6% projection.
- The Hill — covered adjustments to TSCL’s COLA prediction and the range of recent forecasts.
