With less than three months to go until the official 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announcement, you’re probably anxious to figure out what your checks will look like next year. There are already projections floating around, but, like the COLA, they are expressed as percentages.
That doesn’t tell you exactly what the COLA will do to your benefits. To figure that out, you have to add the COLA percentage to your existing checks. Here’s what that would look like for someone who currently receives $2,000 per month.
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The 2027 COLA will likely be around 3.8%
Current estimates from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) put the 2027 Social Security COLA around 3.8%, based on recent inflation data. This is still only an estimate because the actual COLA is based on changes in third-quarter inflation, and we’re only a few weeks into the third quarter of 2026. We won’t know the official 2027 COLA until October, but we can expect it to be somewhere in this ballpark.
A 3.8% COLA would boost a $2,000 monthly benefit by $76 per month. This is slightly less than the $79 increase the average Social Security beneficiary would receive. It may not be enough to cover your rising living costs, though. Some seniors may still have to dip into their savings a bit more to cover their expenses in 2027.
The COLA may come in a bit higher than this if inflation rises significantly over the next few months. But if inflation drops, it may come in a bit lower. So you can use this estimate to get a rough idea of what your checks might look like next year, but don’t start drawing up your 2027 budget until we know the actual COLA.
What to do once the 2027 COLA is announced
The Social Security Administration will announce the 2027 COLA on the morning of Oct. 14, 2026. This is when we get the September inflation number, the last piece of information needed for the COLA calculation.
Once you know the percentage, you can add it to your existing checks to get a rough idea of how much more you’ll get next year. Keep in mind that Medicare Part B premiums will likely increase next year as well. If you have these withheld from your Social Security benefits, this will offset some of the gains you get from the COLA.
The Social Security Administration will send all beneficiaries personalized COLA notices in December. This will tell you exactly how much you’ll get next year and how much will be withheld for Medicare premiums. By this point, you should be ready to start constructing your 2027 budget if you haven’t already.
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What Social Security COLA Changes Could Mean for Your $2,000 Benefit Check in 2027 was originally published by The Motley Fool
