Social Security says people who want to read their 2027 cost-of-living notice online have to be signed up for paperless notices by November 18. The notice tells each beneficiary their new monthly amount after the 3.6 percent raise that begins in January. Anyone who misses the date still gets the raise, and still gets a paper letter in December.
What November 18 actually decides
The date is not a deadline to receive the increase. The raise is automatic for everyone on Social Security, and SSA’s October 14 announcement says it starts in January 2027. November 18 only decides who can see the notice on a screen first.
People without a my Social Security account must create one and choose paperless notices by that date. SSA’s COLA page says most beneficiaries with an account created by November 18 will find the notice online in late November. COLA stands for cost-of-living adjustment, the yearly raise tied to consumer prices.
Anyone who already has an account, and who wants the notice online instead of by mail, needs to sign in and choose online notices before the cutoff. People who have no account and no interest in one can simply wait for the mail. That is the question for retirees, disability beneficiaries and anyone on Supplemental Security Income (SSI): sign up now for the early look, or wait for the paper.
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How the online notice works
SSA says account holders can see the notice online starting in late November, up to three weeks before the paper version arrives. Paper notices go out in December to people who have not enrolled in paperless notices. The notice sits in the account’s Message Center, and it can be saved there for later.
Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in the announcement that the adjustment will give 76 million Americans greater financial stability. The agency says the new notice is a simplified one-page letter in plain language. It shows exact dates, the new benefit amount and any deductions. People can also sign up for text or email alerts when a new Message Center item arrives. SSA says the 2027 Medicare amount will show up in the Message Center too.
The online route also changes how people learn about 2027 Medicare costs. SSA’s announcement says the Medicare amounts for 2027 will appear in the Message Center, and its COLA page says the figure also appears on the mailed notice. For people whose Medicare premium comes out of the Social Security check, that number decides how much of the raise actually lands in the bank.
What the 3.6 percent raise looks like
SSA says the average retirement benefit rises by about $75 a month. Its 2027 fact sheet estimates the average retired worker’s check goes from $2,095 to $2,170 in January. An aged couple, both receiving benefits, moves from $3,238 to $3,355. The average disabled worker goes from $1,642 to $1,701.
The increase follows a 2.8 percent raise for 2026 and 2.5 percent for 2025, according to the same COLA page. People on SSI, about 7.3 million of them, see their higher payment earlier, beginning December 31, 2026. The federal SSI payment standard for an individual rises to $1,029 a month from $994. The maximum benefit for a worker retiring at full retirement age goes to $4,188 a month.
The raise also moves other numbers that matter to people who still work. The fact sheet puts the earnings limit for beneficiaries under full retirement age at $25,560 a year in 2027, up from $24,480. In the year someone reaches full retirement age, the limit is $67,920, up from $65,160. After that month, there is no limit.
Workers pay Social Security tax on more of their pay too. The maximum taxable earnings figure climbs to $192,300 from $184,500. For disability beneficiaries who try part-time work, the monthly substantial gainful activity line for non-blind workers rises to $1,770 from $1,690.
Setting up the account
Accounts are created at ssa.gov/myaccount, which is SSA’s free official site. Identity checks run through Login.gov or ID.me. Either one asks for an email address, a government-issued photo ID and a phone number or a device with a camera.
The page says an account also lets people change an address or direct deposit, print proof of benefits and review their earnings record. People who already use Login.gov or ID.me for another service can sign in with that existing account instead of starting over.
Calls that use the raise as bait
Raise announcements bring scam calls. SSA’s scam guidance lists what the agency says it will never do. It will not threaten arrest, suspend a Social Security number, demand immediate payment or ask for gift cards, wires or cash. It will not ask for personal or bank details in order to give someone a cost-of-living adjustment.
SSA says anyone who gets a questionable call should hang up and report it to its Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report. A real notice arrives in the Message Center or in the mail, not through a caller who asks for a number. Will the account be ready before the November 18 cutoff?
Not set up for paperless notices by November 18?
Beneficiaries who skip the online notice and then miss the December letter can go into January without knowing their new amount or when it lands. A late, short or wrong deposit is also easier to catch when the expected date and dollar figure are already written down.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit lays out the 2026 payment calendar, the three SSA forms that stop or pause collection (SSA-561, SSA-632, SSA-634) and a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment. It also has an overpayment response worksheet for the day a notice shows up that the reader does not understand.
Get the check protection kit with the payment calendar and late-payment plan →
More Financial Reading
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
