The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced that Social Security benefits will rise by 3.6% in 2027 — the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) designed to protect beneficiaries' purchasing power against inflation.
The increase reaches roughly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries with their January 2027 payments, while the higher payments for the roughly 7.3 million Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients begin on December 31, 2026.
How much more will you get?
The average retired worker's benefit climbs from $2,095 to $2,170 a month — about $75 more per month on average. Your exact amount depends on your earnings record and the age at which you claimed benefits.
New tax and earnings numbers for 2027:
- The maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (the taxable maximum) rises from $184,500 in 2026 to $192,300 in 2027.
- If you receive benefits before full retirement age and keep working, the earnings limit is $25,560 a year, with $1 withheld from benefits for every $2 earned above the limit.
- In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit rises to $67,920, with $1 withheld for every $3 over the limit — counting only the months before you reach full retirement age.
- Once you reach full retirement age, there is no limit on how much you can earn.
When will you see your exact new amount?
COLA notices will be available online in the Message Center of your my Social Security account in late November 2026. To read yours early online, create your account or turn on electronic notices by November 18, 2026. Paper notices will be mailed during December.
In a separate announcement, SSA also reported the largest cleanup of the Social Security number database in its 91-year history: it added missing dates of death for some 17 million people using State Department data, updated citizenship information in about 25 million records through the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE system, and is correcting another 8.5 million records with inaccurate citizenship status — bringing the total to roughly 15% of active SSNs corrected. The agency stresses that this does not change anyone's Social Security number and does not stop anyone's benefits.
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