Your Social Security COLA Notice Arrives in December. Here's How to Estimate Your 2027 Raise Before Then.
You don't have to wait until December to find out how much your Social Security check will grow.
Social Security recipients will get their biggest raise in four years in 2027, thanks to a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announced by the Social Security Administration (SSA) on October 14, 2026. Beneficiaries will receive personalized notices detailing their new benefit payments in December, but they can estimate their 2027 Social Security benefit themselves in just a couple of minutes.
To do this, simply multiply their current monthly gross benefit by 1.036. For instance, if the average retiree's gross monthly benefit in September 2026 was $2,088.79, multiplying that figure by 1.036 yields a new monthly gross benefit of $2,163.99. The difference of $75.20 represents exactly 3.6% of the September average monthly benefit.
While these figures are averages, individual benefits may vary depending on one's earnings history and the age at which Social Security retirement benefits were claimed. The personalized notices will be available on the my Social Security account on SSA.gov in late November, well before the mailed paper notices arrive. Note that these estimates only account for the gross Social Security benefit amount, not the actual take-home amount.
Medicare Part B premiums, which are deducted from most beneficiaries' Social Security payments, have not yet been finalized for 2027, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are expected to announce the 2027 premiums in November. The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report suggests that the standard Part B premium will increase by around 3.25%, a smaller percentage than the Social Security COLA increase, which is generally favorable for seniors.
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