Social Security benefits rise 3.6% starting with the January 2027 payment, the largest cost-of-living adjustment in four years. Below are every payment date through December 2027, the 2027 COLA figures, and what Medicare Part B costs.
Last updated Nov. 1, 2026. Payment dates follow the Social Security Administration’s published schedule and its rule that a payment falling on a weekend or federal holiday goes out the business day before.
At a glance
- 2027 COLA: 3.6%, announced Oct. 14, 2026. It applies to Social Security benefits paid for January 2027. SSI recipients see the increase in the payment that arrives Dec. 31, 2026.
- COLA notices: posted in late November 2026 to the Message Center of my Social Security accounts created by Nov. 18; mailed notices follow in December.
- Taxable maximum for 2027: $192,300 of earnings subject to Social Security tax.
- Earnings test for 2027: $25,560 if you are under full retirement age all year ($1 withheld for every $2 over); $67,920 in the year you reach full retirement age ($1 for every $3 over, until the month you reach it). No limit once you are full retirement age.
- Medicare Part B in 2026: $202.90 a month standard premium and a $283 annual deductible; the Part A hospital deductible is $1,736. CMS has not yet set the 2027 figures. Last year’s came out Nov. 14, and the Medicare trustees projected a $209.50 premium for 2027.
- Recent COLAs: 2.8% (2026), 2.5% (2025), 3.2% (2024), 8.7% (2023).
Who is paid on which day
If you started receiving benefits after April 1997, your payment day depends on your birthday: the 1st through the 10th are paid on the second Wednesday of the month, the 11th through the 20th on the third Wednesday, and the 21st through the 31st on the fourth Wednesday. Spouses and survivors are paid on the worker’s day, not their own. If you began receiving benefits before May 1997, or you receive both Social Security and SSI, Social Security arrives on the 3rd. SSI arrives on the 1st. When any of those dates lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the payment goes out on the business day before.
Payment dates, November 2026 to December 2027
| Month | SSI | Paid on the 3rd | Born 1st–10th | Born 11th–20th | Born 21st–31st |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Fri., Oct. 30 | Tue., Nov. 3 | Tue., Nov. 10* | Wed., Nov. 18 | Wed., Nov. 25 |
| December 2026 | Tue., Dec. 1 | Thu., Dec. 3 | Wed., Dec. 9 | Wed., Dec. 16 | Wed., Dec. 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu., Dec. 31, 2026 | Thu., Dec. 31, 2026 | Wed., Jan. 13 | Wed., Jan. 20 | Wed., Jan. 27 |
| February 2027 | Mon., Feb. 1 | Wed., Feb. 3 | Wed., Feb. 10 | Wed., Feb. 17 | Wed., Feb. 24 |
| March 2027 | Mon., March 1 | Wed., March 3 | Wed., March 10 | Wed., March 17 | Wed., March 24 |
| April 2027 | Thu., April 1 | Fri., April 2 | Wed., April 14 | Wed., April 21 | Wed., April 28 |
| May 2027 | Fri., April 30 | Mon., May 3 | Wed., May 12 | Wed., May 19 | Wed., May 26 |
| June 2027 | Tue., June 1 | Thu., June 3 | Wed., June 9 | Wed., June 16 | Wed., June 23 |
| July 2027 | Thu., July 1 | Fri., July 2 | Wed., July 14 | Wed., July 21 | Wed., July 28 |
| August 2027 | Fri., July 30 | Tue., Aug. 3 | Wed., Aug. 11 | Wed., Aug. 18 | Wed., Aug. 25 |
| September 2027 | Wed., Sept. 1 | Fri., Sept. 3 | Wed., Sept. 8 | Wed., Sept. 15 | Wed., Sept. 22 |
| October 2027 | Fri., Oct. 1 | Fri., Oct. 1 | Wed., Oct. 13 | Wed., Oct. 20 | Wed., Oct. 27 |
| November 2027 | Mon., Nov. 1 | Wed., Nov. 3 | Wed., Nov. 10 | Wed., Nov. 17 | Wed., Nov. 24 |
| December 2027 | Wed., Dec. 1 | Fri., Dec. 3 | Wed., Dec. 8 | Wed., Dec. 15 | Wed., Dec. 22 |
* Nov. 11, 2026, is Veterans Day, so the second-Wednesday payment moves to Tuesday, Nov. 10. The January 2027 payments are the first with the 3.6% increase; because Jan. 1 is a holiday and Jan. 3 is a Sunday, the SSI and 3rd-of-the-month payments for January arrive Dec. 31, 2026. The SSI payment for January 2028 arrives Dec. 30, 2027.
The COLA is set each October from the third-quarter change in the CPI-W, the inflation index for wage earners, which is why the monthly inflation reports matter to retirees before the announcement. Medicare Part B premiums are deducted from most Social Security checks, so the net raise depends on the premium CMS announces in November.
Sources: Social Security Administration, Cost-of-Living Adjustment information for 2027; SSA, Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2027 (Publication 05-10031); CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B premiums and deductibles.
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