Social Security cost of living increase: Prepare to be disappointed, experts warn

Social Security Benefits Could See a 3.5% COLA Boost in 2027

This coming January's cost-of-living adjustment is already two-thirds determined, with a pretty good idea of what that last one-third will be.

Social Security Payments May Increase 3.6 Percent, AARP Says

A sign at the entrance of the Security Administration's main campus in Woodlawn, Maryland, on March 19, 2025. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Social Security cost of living increase: Prepare to be disappointed, experts warn

Retirees hoping for a substantial increase in Social Security benefits this year will likely be disappointed despite being on a track for record cost of living adjustment (COLA).

AARP cuts to the chase on 2027 Social Security COLA

Two of the organizations that track Social Security benefits most closely just moved their 2027 COLA estimates in opposite directions. One went up. One went down. The one that went up is AARP, reaching 3.6%. AARP raised its 2027 cost-of-living adjustment estimate from 3.5% to 3.6% after August…

Social Security’s 2027 COLA Is Tracking Near 3.5% With One Inflation Reading Left

Social Security's 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is now tracking near 3.5%, but the final answer still depends on September inflation. That last data point is due October 14, when the government will have all three months needed to calculate the increase. The latest reading moved the estimate higher. The consumer price index for urban wage earners…