The 2027 Social Security numbers are final; the 2027 Medicare numbers are not. This guide separates the two, shows what the COLA is worth at different benefit levels, and explains which decisions you can make now.
Social Security announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027 on its fact sheet certified October 14, 2026. The increase comes from the third-quarter CPI-W, which averaged 328.746 in July-September 2026 against 317.265 a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Medicare’s side of the check, the Part B premium and the income-related surcharges (IRMAA), is set separately by CMS and had not been announced as of October 22, 2026.
| Item | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| COLA | 2.8% | 3.6% |
| Average retired worker | $2,095 (before the COLA) | $2,170 |
| Aged couple, both receiving | $3,238 | $3,355 |
| Maximum benefit at full retirement age | $4,152 | $4,188 |
| Earnings test, under full retirement age | $24,480 | $25,560 |
| Earnings test, year of full retirement age | $65,160 | $67,920 |
| Taxable maximum | $184,500 | $192,300 |
| SSI federal payment, individual | $994 | $1,029 |
| Medicare Part B standard premium | $202.90 | Not announced (CMS, usually November) |
| IRMAA income year | 2024 MAGI | 2025 MAGI; brackets not announced |
Use the Social Security COLA calculator for your own benefit: multiply the gross benefit by 1.036 and round down to the dollar.
Most people have Part B deducted from their check. The hold-harmless rule (42 U.S.C. 1395r(f)) says that if your premium was deducted in November and December 2026, your 2027 premium cannot rise by more than your COLA raise in dollars, so your deposit cannot shrink. Because the raise is a percentage and the premium is a flat amount, smaller benefits have less room:
| Benefit before the COLA | 2027 raise | Most your Part B premium can rise if hold-harmless applies |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $18 | $18.00 |
| $800 | $28 | $28.00 |
| $1,200 | $43 | $43.00 |
| $1,600 | $57 | $57.00 |
| $2,095 | $75 | $75.00 |
| $3,000 | $108 | $108.00 |
When the standard premium rises by more than a person’s raise, that person pays a reduced premium and the deposit stays flat; this happened in 2026, when the premium rose $17.90 and anyone whose 2.8% raise was smaller kept a lower premium. Hold-harmless does not cover people paying IRMAA, people new to Part B in 2027, or people whose state pays the premium. Once CMS announces the 2027 premium, enter it in the COLA calculator to see your actual deposit. Anyone who signed up for Part B late also pays a lifetime surcharge on top of that premium; the Medicare late enrollment penalty calculator works it out for Part B and Part D.
The 2027 surcharges will be based on your 2025 tax return. The brackets and dollar amounts are not public yet, so the only firm reference is the 2026 table, which used 2024 income:
| Single MAGI (2024) | Joint MAGI (2024) | Part B per person | Part D add-on |
|---|---|---|---|
| $109,000 or less | $218,000 or less | $202.90 | $0.00 |
| $109,001-$137,000 | $218,001-$274,000 | $284.10 | $14.50 |
| $137,001-$171,000 | $274,001-$342,000 | $405.80 | $37.50 |
| $171,001-$205,000 | $342,001-$410,000 | $527.50 | $60.40 |
| $205,001-$499,999 | $410,001-$749,999 | $649.20 | $83.30 |
| $500,000 or more | $750,000 or more | $689.90 | $91.00 |
The lower thresholds are adjusted for inflation each year, so 2027’s lines are expected to be somewhat higher, but how much is not known until CMS publishes them. Three things are decidable today. Your 2025 MAGI is already fixed: check line 11 plus line 2a of your 2025 Form 1040 against the 2026 lines to see roughly where you stand. 2026 income sets 2028 premiums, so Roth conversions or gains you take before December 31 show up two years later; the IRMAA calculator shows the distance to the next tier. If you retired or lost income, an SSA-44 request can replace the two-year-old figure with a current one.
Spousal benefits rise by the same 3.6%. A worker whose benefit is $2,800 becomes $2,900; a spouse collecting a full spousal benefit of $1,400 at full retirement age becomes $1,450. The COLA does not change the claiming math: the spousal top-up is still up to 50% of the worker’s full-retirement-age amount, cut by 25/36 of 1% a month for the first 36 months early, and it never grows after full retirement age. For a spouse deciding when to claim, the spousal benefit calculator splits the benefit into the spouse’s own part and the top-up at any age.
Two rule changes from recent years still surprise people. Deemed filing (for anyone born on or after January 2, 1954) means applying for either benefit is applying for both. And the Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, ended the Government Pension Offset, so spouses with pensions from work not covered by Social Security, such as some teachers, may now qualify for spousal benefits they were previously denied.
If you are under full retirement age for all of 2027, Social Security withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 you earn above $25,560. A 64-year-old earning $40,000 would have $7,220 withheld over the year. In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit is $67,920 and the withholding is $1 for every $3, counting only earnings before the month you reach it. Withheld benefits are not lost: your benefit is recalculated at full retirement age to credit the months withheld. The Social Security earnings test calculator shows how much would be withheld and how many checks are held.
October 14, 2026: 2027 COLA and limits announced. November (usually): CMS announces the 2027 Part B premium, deductible and IRMAA brackets. Late November to December: COLA notices by mail and in my Social Security. December 31, 2026: first SSI payment at the new rate. January 2027: first Social Security payment with the 3.6% increase; new earnings test limits apply.
Already collecting, Part B deducted, no IRMAA: your deposit cannot fall; expect it to rise by up to your COLA raise minus any premium increase. Paying IRMAA: budget for both a premium change and a bracket change; your deposit can fall. Facing large drug costs early in the year: the out-of-pocket cap rises from $2,100 to $2,400 in 2027, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan calculator shows how monthly billing would spread it. Planning a 2026 Roth conversion: it affects 2028 premiums, not 2027. Spouse deciding when to claim: claiming at 62 cuts the spousal part 35% (full retirement age 67); waiting past full retirement age gains nothing on the spousal part. Still working before full retirement age: estimate earnings against $25,560.
Social Security Administration, 2027 COLA Fact Sheet (certified October 14, 2026). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-W series CWUR0000SA0 (accessed October 22, 2026). CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles fact sheet (November 14, 2025). Social Security Administration, FAQ KA-02041 on the Social Security Fairness Act (April 16, 2025), and benefit reduction chart for spouses (accessed October 2026). U.S. Code, 42 U.S.C. 1395r(f) (accessed October 2026).
3.6%, applied to benefits starting with the January 2027 payment; SSI recipients get it in the payment dated December 31, 2026.
Not announced as of October 22, 2026. CMS usually publishes it in November; the 2026 standard premium is $202.90.
Not announced yet. They will apply to 2025 income; the 2026 brackets start at $109,000 single and $218,000 joint of 2024 MAGI.
Not if hold-harmless applies: your premium was deducted from your check in November and December 2026 and you do not pay IRMAA.
Yes. Spousal and survivor benefits rise by the same 3.6%.
$25,560 if you are under full retirement age all year, and $67,920 in the year you reach it.