Nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 3.6 percent raise in January 2027, and the paper notice that spells out each person’s new amount goes out by mail in December. An online version shows up earlier, in late November, for people who have a my Social Security account and are enrolled in paperless notices by Nov. 18, according to the agency’s Oct. 14 announcement. Retirement benefits rise by $75 a month on average.
The two notices matter to anyone who budgets around the new amount, such as a household setting a 2027 spending plan or a retiree watching for the Medicare premium that comes out of the check. Each beneficiary has a choice to make before Nov. 18: sign up to see the notice online in late November, or wait for the envelope in December. Which of the two will carry a household’s new amount first?
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When does each version of the COLA notice arrive?
Social Security says people who are enrolled can view their cost-of-living adjustment notice online starting in late November. Everyone else receives the notice by mail in December. The agency’s COLA page adds that the online notices appear in the my Social Security Message Center.
The same release says the 2027 Medicare premium will be available through the Message Center starting in late November, and people who have not opted into online messages will see it on the mailed notice in December. Medicare information for 2027 is posted at Medicare.gov. The Social Security release does not give the premium amount.
What does 3.6 percent come to in dollars?
The raise is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, and it follows a 2.8 percent adjustment for 2026 and 2.5 percent for 2025, the COLA page shows. Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in the release that Social Security will implement the adjustment for 76 million Americans, a figure that counts about 7.3 million people on Supplemental Security Income along with the nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries.
SSA’s 2027 fact sheet labels its average benefit amounts as estimates payable in January 2027. They are averages, not what any one household will get. The table lists these groups:
- All retired workers: $2,095 now, $2,170 in 2027
- Aged couple, both receiving benefits: $3,238 now, $3,355 in 2027
- Aged widow or widower alone: $1,936 now, $2,005 in 2027
- All disabled workers: $1,642 now, $1,701 in 2027
- Widowed mother and two children: $3,932 now, $4,074 in 2027
- Disabled worker, spouse and one or more children: $2,970 now, $3,077 in 2027
The fact sheet also lists other 2027 amounts that move with the raise, including a Social Security tax limit on earnings of $192,300 and an earnings-test limit of $25,560 a year for people under full retirement age.
Who does not wait for the December mailing?
Increased payments to about 7.3 million people who receive SSI begin on Dec. 31, 2026, ahead of every Social Security check. Some people receive both SSI and Social Security, and for them the SSI raise arrives first.
Social Security retirement, survivor and disability beneficiaries see the 3.6 percent in payments that begin in January 2027. Payment dates in each month follow the birth-date schedule that SSA publishes. The notice is where each beneficiary sees the exact new monthly figure, which is why its timing matters.
How does a beneficiary get the online notice by Nov. 18?
People who do not yet have a personal my Social Security account must create one and enroll in paperless notices by Nov. 18 to see the COLA notice online. The agency’s COLA page says a person signing in or creating an account can choose online notices instead of mail.
Someone who prefers paper does not have to do anything. The mailed notice goes out in December, and the new amount takes effect with the January payments either way. A beneficiary who wants the number sooner, for a December budget or to compare it against the Medicare premium, is the one the Nov. 18 date is aimed at.
Will the November message or the December envelope be the first to show the new amount?
A raise notice is one more piece of Social Security mail, and a missed or misread notice can leave a household guessing about what is due and when. That is the stake for anyone who keeps no record of the payment dates.
“The Social Security Check Protection Kit” is a 75-page guide that includes the 2026 payment calendar, so a beneficiary can see when each payment is due to arrive and spot one that is off. Part 4 covers late, short or wrong payments, with a first-24-hours plan for a payment that does not show up.
Get the 2026 payment calendar in the Social Security Check Protection Kit →
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.
