The 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is estimated to increase benefits by 2.8%, the same as in 2026.
The Social Security Administration calculates the COLA annually, boosting benefits to keep pace with inflation.
However, the majority of seniors do not feel their benefits are keeping pace with inflation.
The next cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits is currently expected to remain the same as the 2026 boost.
The 2027 COLA boost is expected to be 2.8%, according to the most recent estimate from advocacy group The Senior Citizens League. That is the same increase Social Security beneficiaries got this year. The 2026 COLA increased the average benefit by $56.
The SSA adjusts the benefit amount that Social Security beneficiaries receive every year based on inflation. There are seven more months until the 2027 COLA is announced, so this is a preliminary estimate based on inflation data currently available.
More than 75 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, with the majority of retirees living on a fixed income. That means they need to prepare for any upcoming changes to their benefits to ensure they can afford their expenses and plan for the possibility of using more of their retirement savings or returning to work.
The SSA calculates the official COLA using the year-over-year change in inflation during the third quarter (July-September).
The inflation used to calculate the COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Although some Social Security advocates argue that the SSA should use the experimental CPI for Americans 62 years of age and older, which they argue is a more accurate measure of the expenses elderly Americans face.
According to a survey from The Senior Citizens League, almost six-in-ten seniors believe their benefits are falling behind inflation and that they will be forced to spend all their retirement savings earlier than planned.
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