Social Security's COLA for 2027 Is Shaping Up to Be Historically Unique in a Key Way -- But Several Problems Loom

Key Points Estimates of the upcoming Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027 have recently gone up -- and down. The upcoming COLA will likely mark six years in a row of increases of 2.5% or more. But Social Security faces some pressing challenges and needs to be strengthened. One proposal is to shrink COLAs for most people. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Anyone on Social Security is likely keenly interested in the program's nearly annual cost of living adjustments (COLAs) -- and in what the upcoming one will be. The formal announcement is due in mid-October, but until then there has been a lot of speculation, with estimates rising and falling.