Millions of Social Security recipients are waiting for the next cost-of-living adjustment, with the 2027 COLA expected to be announced on October 14, 2026 after the final inflation data needed for the calculation is released.
When will the Social Security COLA be announced?
Independent Social Security and Medicare analyst Mary Johnson currently estimates a 3.4% COLA for 2027, according to USA TODAY . The expected October 14 announcement comes after the release of September inflation data. The Senior Citizens League, for example, lowered its estimate to 3.6% after the July inflation figures were released.
The estimate followed the release of July inflation data, the first of three monthly figures used in the annual calculation. The COLA is calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W. Under current rules, the calculation uses the average CPI-W for July, August and September and compares it with the corresponding period from the previous year. That means two months of inflation data are still to come, so current estimates remain subject to change. A larger monthly Social Security payment can help beneficiaries deal with rising prices, but the size of the increase does not tell the whole story. The annual adjustment is designed to help Social Security benefits keep pace with inflation, but it does not guarantee that every beneficiary will experience an increase in purchasing power.
