{
  "id": 15733797,
  "title": "The 2027 Social Security COLA Was Just Announced. Here's How It Will Affect Spousal Benefits Next Year.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/the-2027-social-security-cola-was-just-announced-heres-how-it-will",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-20T10:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motley Fool",
    "slug": "motley-fool",
    "url": "https://www.fool.com/retirement/2026/10/20/2027-social-security-cola-spousal-benefits/?source=iedfolrf0000001"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 14, the Social Security Administration (SSA) revealed the forthcoming cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027, set at 3.6%, the highest increase since 2023. This annual boost aims to combat inflation and preserve the purchasing power of fixed Social Security benefits for retirees. While the standard retirement benefits receive the focus, millions of individuals with spousal benefits will also experience a significant rise.\n\nSpousal benefits grant recipients up to 50% of their spouse's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the monthly benefit they would receive if they claimed at their full retirement age of 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Claimants must meet certain criteria, including having been married for at least 10 years and currently unmarried, or being eligible due to a divorced marriage with a current partner not receiving Social Security benefits.\n\nThe COLA directly impacts spousal benefits, increasing them by the same 3.6% percentage. For instance, if the primary spouse's PIA is $2,000 per month, the spousal benefit would be $1,000. With the COLA, the primary spouse's benefit would be $2,072, while the spousal benefit would increase to $1,036. As of September, the average monthly spousal benefit stood at $986, which would rise by approximately $35 to $1,021 with the 3.6% COLA.\n\nThe COLA is determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), averaging the CPI-W for July, August, and September, comparing it to the previous year's average, and setting the next COLA as the rounded increase. The CPI-W average this year was 3.62% higher than the 2025 average, resulting in a 3.6% COLA for 2027.",
  "summary": "Spousal benefit recipients will also receive the above-average bump.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}