Millions of Social Security recipients are less than two weeks away from learning how much their benefits will increase next year. The 2027 Social Security COLA will become calculable on Oct. 14, when the government releases the final inflation number needed to determine the increase. Current estimates point toward a larger adjustment than the 2.8% beneficiaries received for 2026, but the official number isn’t known yet. That’s because Social Security doesn’t simply use the latest annual inflation rate or whatever prices happen to be doing in October. One specific measurement from July, August and September determines the answer, and September is the final missing piece.
