Retired Worker COLA 2027: The $2,095 → $2,170 Raise
Calculate your 2027 increase
Enter your current check — we apply the official 3.6% COLA and show your new amount instantly.
The COLA and your claiming age
Three facts retirees most often get wrong:
1. Delaying does not cost you COLAs. Your primary insurance amount (PIA) is increased by every COLA from the year you turn 62, whether or not you have claimed. A worker who waits until 70 has had eight COLAs compounded into the PIA that the delayed retirement credits then multiply.
2. Claiming early does not lock in a pre-COLA amount. The early-claiming reduction (for example, 70% of PIA at 62 when full retirement age is 67) is applied to the current, COLA-increased PIA — and the reduced benefit keeps receiving each year's full COLA percentage thereafter.
3. New claimants in 2027 are not shorted. The 3.6% is built into the PIA of anyone first entitled in 2027 through the indexing of their earnings record; their first "visible" COLA will be the 2028 adjustment, paid from January 2028.
The increase at every level
| Current monthly benefit | With 3.6% COLA (2027) | Monthly increase |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $518 | +$18 |
| $750 | $777 | +$27 |
| $1,000 | $1,036 | +$36 |
| $1,250 | $1,295 | +$45 |
| $1,500 | $1,554 | +$54 |
| $1,750 | $1,813 | +$63 |
| $2,000 | $2,072 | +$72 |
| $2,250 | $2,331 | +$81 |
| $2,500 | $2,590 | +$90 |
| $2,750 | $2,849 | +$99 |
| $3,000 | $3,108 | +$108 |
| $3,250 | $3,367 | +$117 |
| $3,500 | $3,626 | +$126 |
The average of $2,170 sits far below the maximum benefit of $4,188 and far above the smallest checks — it is an average across more than 50 million retired workers with very different earnings histories, not a typical or median figure. What every row shares is the same 3.6%: the percentage is uniform, only the dollars scale. After Medicare Part B, the average net deposit rises by about $68 rather than $75 (using the projected $209.50 premium) — the full gross-to-net math is on the net COLA calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the average retired worker get in 2027?
$2,170 a month, up from $2,095 — the SSA's official average for all retired workers, an increase of $75 a month or $900 over the year. Your own increase is 3.6% of your own amount, whatever it is.
Does the COLA depend on when I claimed?
The percentage does not: COLAs are applied to your primary insurance amount (PIA) from age 62 onward, before any early-claiming reduction or delayed retirement credits are figured. Claiming early locks in a reduced percentage of a COLA-growing PIA; delaying raises the percentage — the COLA itself is identical either way.
If I claim in 2027, do I miss the COLA?
No. A worker who becomes entitled in 2027 has the 3.6% built into their PIA already (PIAs are indexed through the year of first eligibility), and they will receive the next COLA, for 2028, with everyone else.
Why is the average increase exactly $75?
Because the average is computed across all retired workers: $2,095 × 1.036 = $2,170.42, published as $2,170. Individual increases scale with the individual benefit — $36 on a $1,000 check, $108 on a $3,000 check.
Source: SSA October 2026 COLA release (average retired-worker amounts); SSA benefit computation rules (PIA COLA indexing from age 62).