Independent forecasts put the 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment roughly in the 3.4%–3.6% range—larger than the 2.8% raise beneficiaries received for 2026.
After July’s CPI-W reading, The Senior Citizens League projected about 3.6%, analyst Mary Johnson about 3.4%, and AARP about 3.5%. The official COLA uses third-quarter CPI-W (July–September); August data is due around Sept. 11, and the Social Security Administration is expected to announce the final 2027 figure on Oct. 14, 2026.
Primary source: The Motley Fool — Social Security’s 2027 COLA: What We Know So Far.