The 2027 COLA is official: 3.6%
FERS gets 2.6%. The final count.
It came in high. A hot September pushed it above the 3.3–3.5% our August count expected.
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1. The final count
The COLA compares the average CPI-W for July, August and September 2026 with the same three months of 2025. All three months are in.
SSA announced the result on October 14, 2026, the day BLS published the September CPI. The step-by-step math and a calculator for your own check are on the 2027 COLA page.
2. Who gets what
| Who | 2027 COLA |
|---|---|
| CSRS and CSRS Offset annuitants | 3.6% |
| Social Security and SSI | 3.6% |
| Military retired pay (High-3, Final Pay, BRS) | 3.6% |
| Military retirees who took the Career Status Bonus (REDUX) | 2.6% |
| FERS annuitants 62 and older | 2.6% |
| FERS disability and survivor annuitants, any age | 2.6% |
| FERS law enforcement, firefighters and air traffic controllers, any age | 2.6% |
| Regular FERS retirees under 62 | None |
| VA disability compensation | Usually 3.6%; Congress must pass it |
FERS gets the COLA minus one point because the COLA is above 3%. REDUX always gets the COLA minus one point. See FERS and CSRS COLAs explained, the military retiree COLA and REDUX. For what the raise means at each VA rating, see Warrior Disability on the 2027 VA COLA.
3. Why September moved it
After August, the count stood at 3.3%, and our August dispatch put the likely range at 3.3% to 3.5%. September then rose 0.66% in a single month, to 330.654, between the normal and hot cases on our table, and enough to tip the rounding to 3.6%. Over the past 12 months, the CPI-W rose 3.9%.
A bigger COLA isn’t a raise in real terms. It repays inflation you have already paid this year. For FERS, the one-point cut means the annuity falls a little further behind prices again.
4. What comes next
- Now through Dec 7: Medicare Open Enrollment. See Open Season decisions.
- November: CMS sets the 2027 Part B premium. The Trustees project $202.90 rising to $209.50; it comes out of the same checks.
- Nov 9 to Dec 14: FEHB and PSHB Open Season. Premiums rise 10.9% on average for FEHB enrollees. Compare plans on Warrior Insure’s Open Season guide.
- Late November: SSA posts each person’s 2027 benefit amount in the my Social Security message center.
- January: check your first 2027 statement against 3.6% or 2.6%, after proration and the new premiums. See reading your OPM annuity statement.
Still working? The COLA doesn’t touch your paycheck. See Federal Warrior on the 2027 federal pay raise.
5. Frequently asked questions
What is the 2027 COLA?
3.6%, announced by the Social Security Administration on October 14, 2026. The same 3.6% applies to CSRS annuities and military retired pay. FERS retirees 62 and older, and military retirees under REDUX, get 2.6%.
Why did the COLA come in at 3.6% when August pointed lower?
September prices rose more than expected. The September CPI-W was 330.654, up 0.66% from August, which lifted the three-month average to 328.746, 3.62% above the 2025 average of 317.265.
When does the 2027 COLA show up in my check?
It is effective December 1, 2026 and first paid in January 2027: the OPM annuity payment dated January 2027, the January 2027 Social Security payment and January 2027 military retired pay. SSI rises with the payment dated December 31, 2026.
Do VA disability payments go up 3.6% too?
Usually by the same percentage, but VA compensation needs Congress to pass a cost-of-living act each year, so it is not automatic the way Social Security and military retired pay are.
- SSA, 2027 COLA fact sheet
- SSA, Social Security announces 3.6 percent benefit increase for 2027 (Oct 14, 2026)
- BLS, Consumer Price Index, September 2026 (CPI-W 330.654; 3.9% over 12 months)
- 5 U.S.C. 8462, FERS cost-of-living adjustments
- 10 U.S.C. 1401a, military retired pay COLA, including REDUX
- OPM, 2027 plan year Open Season highlights
- 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, projected 2027 Part B premium