Here’s how much your Social Security benefit could rise in 2027

NEW YORK —

Social Security benefits are projected to increase by as much as 3.8% in 2027, according to initial estimates of advocacy groups.

The Senior Citizens League, or TSCL, projected a one-percentage point increase in the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment to 3.8% from 2.8% in 2026. Meanwhile, AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, said its projected cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2027 could be 3.6%.

More than 71 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, averaging close to $1,938 per month, according to a report by the Social Security Administration in June 2026.

The estimated 3.8% cost-of-living adjustment could mean a $73.60 increase to the average retired worker’s monthly benefit.

The Get the Facts Data Team has created a calculator that shows how much your Social Security monthly benefit could increase based on the 3.8% COLA forecast for next year.

Calculate how much your benefit may change

Is this the final COLA for 2027?

The Social Security Administration recalculates benefits annually by factoring in what’s called the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. This is to ensure that the purchasing power of benefits does not fall behind the current cost of goods.

COLA is computed by comparing the current year’s third-quarter inflation average, July through September, against the prior year’s third-quarter average. The final COLA number for the upcoming year is announced by the SSA in October.

Alex Moore, a statistician for The Senior Citizens League, said its forecast 3.8% for the 2027 COLA can still change as there has been a lot more economic uncertainty throughout the year.

“We’ve seen with oil prices being really unstable this year, and that’s the number one thing to watch,” said Moore.

“If we start seeing oil do better and fossil fuels do better over these next two months, and we see the Consumer Price Index go down, that means that will probably get a little bit lower COLA. If those inflationary fuel pressures stay really high, we’ll probably get a higher COLA because that will continue to push prices higher in the market,” said Moore.

Is COLA keeping up with Medicare?

Aside from inflation, seniors also face rising health care costs.

In November 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees, which is deducted from the Social Security benefit payment, has risen to $202.90 per month in 2026 from $185 in 2025.

The 9.7% increase was the second-largest premium increase in the program’s history and particularly impacts seniors on fixed incomes.

This is evident in a trend that Moore said he has seen in TSCL’s research. According to Moore, 57% of seniors have skipped a health care procedure of some kind due to cost in the last year.

“They just can’t afford it, and they’re skipping things like the dentist, which obviously has a lot of preventative value and you end up paying more later,” Moore said.

Russell Gloor, a Social Security Advisor at AMAC Foundation, said health care expenses are rising more than the average Social Security benefit amount. Gloor said this is a problem seniors continue to face and the cost-of-living adjustment is “never enough.”

“The actual cost of living happens before the cost of living is provided, so it’s based on the third quarter of the previous year, so as a result you’ve already spent a lot of money on goods and services that you can’t get back,” Gloor said.

What is the Social Security bill reintroduced in Congress?

A bill reintroduced in Congress called the Social Security 2100 Act would change the way the government computes annual cost-of-living adjustments.

Instead of computing COLA using the Consumer Price Index based on the spending patterns of urban wage earners and clerical workers, the bill requires the government to use what’s called CPI for the Elderly, or CPI-E.

The CPI for the Elderly index tracks spending of persons 62 years of age or older and puts more importance on categories such as housing and medical care.

“What we our research has shown time and again is that seniors tend to experience inflation differently,” said Moore. “They disproportionately spend more on housing and healthcare, which are two of the heaviest hit parts of the economy when it comes to inflation.”

The Social Security 2100 Act was first introduced by U.S. Rep. John Larson in the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2014. It has been routinely reintroduced in subsequent sessions of Congress and has not been passed.