By Pedro Bianco
En esta noticia
More than 70 million people in the United States are days away from finding out how much their Social Security check will grow in 2027. This is the cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA, which the Social Security Administration (SSA) applies every year so that benefits do not lose value against inflation.
When the 2027 COLA Is Announced
The SSA plans to announce the 2027 COLA on October 14, 2026. This is the date on which, in general, the adjustment that will apply for the following year is confirmed.
The figure depends on a key data point: the September inflation index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Therefore, in the event of possible delays in the release of official data, the announcement could be rescheduled.
How much benefits would rise: projections
The final percentage is set by the SSA, but in the meantime various specialists prepare estimates. It is important to note that these are projections, not official figures:
- The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a senior advocacy organization, projected a COLA of between 3.5% and 3.6%.
- Mary Johnson, an independent analyst on Social Security and Medicare issues, estimated it at around 3.4%.
Both estimates fell from those at the start of the northern hemisphere summer, when they had reached around 3.8%. As a reference, the COLA in effect in 2026 was 2.8%, so a value around 3.5% would imply an increase somewhat larger than the previous year.
How the adjustment is calculated
The COLA does not arise from a discretionary decision, but from a fixed formula. The SSA compares the CPI-W (the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) for the third quarter of the year (July, August, and September) with that of the same period in the last year in which there was an adjustment.
The result is rounded to the nearest tenth of a percentage point. If there is no increase in prices, there is no COLA. According to TSCL, the July (3.4%) and August (3.5%) data were already showing that trend before the calculation was finalized.
How much would be added to the monthly check
The impact in dollars depends on the amount each person receives. As a reference, TSCL estimated that a 3.6% COLA would represent around USD 69.75 additional per month for an average beneficiary. The exact number will vary according to each person’s benefit and can only be calculated precisely once the SSA publishes the official percentage.