Social Security 2027 numbers

1. The full 2027 table

Every 2027 figure is from SSA’s official 2027 fact sheet, released October 14, 2026, except the FERS COLA, which follows from the 3.6% under the FERS formula in the law (see section 5).

2. The taxable wage base

The wage base is the most pay that the 6.2% Social Security tax applies to; Medicare’s 1.45% has no ceiling. For 2027 it rises to $192,300, up $7,800 from $184,500. A worker at or above the cap pays $11,922.60 in Social Security tax in 2027, $483.60 more than in 2026.

For federal employees this matters in three places. GS-14 and GS-15 employees in high-locality areas earn above the cap and see Social Security withholding stop partway through the year; the stopping point moves later. Reemployed annuitants and retirees with second careers pay the tax on the same schedule. And every year of covered earnings near the cap raises the average earnings behind your future benefit.

3. The earnings test, and the FERS supplement

The earnings test holds back benefits from people who claim before full retirement age and keep working:

• Under full retirement age all year: $1 withheld for every $2 earned above $25,560 ($2,130 a month).
• The year you reach full retirement age: $1 withheld for every $3 above $67,920 ($5,660 a month), counting only earnings before the month you reach it.
• From full retirement age on: no limit. Withheld benefits are credited back through a higher monthly benefit.

See the earnings-test trap for how the withholding and the later credit work.

The federal angle is the FERS annuity supplement. By law it is reduced under the same lower limit and the same $1-for-$2 rule once you reach your MRA. OPM applies the reduction from July, based on the prior year’s earnings reported on the annual survey. So the $25,560 limit governs 2027 earnings, and any cut shows up from July 2028. A retiree under 62 earning $30,000 in 2027 is $4,440 over the limit and loses $2,220 of supplement the following year.

4. Full retirement age reaches 67 for good

The 1983 amendments raised full retirement age from 65 to 67 in steps by birth year. The 1960 cohort turns 67 during 2027, and everyone born later has the same full retirement age. From 2027 on, the claiming math is the same for everyone approaching it: 70% of the full benefit at 62, 100% at 67, 124% at 70. See full retirement age 67 in 2027 and the TSP bridge for the case for waiting.

5. The COLA and the maximum benefit

The 2027 COLA is 3.6%. It applies to all Social Security benefits from January 2027 payments, and to SSI from the payment dated December 31, 2026. The same 3.6% goes to CSRS annuities and military retired pay.

FERS retirees get less. Under the FERS formula in the law, when the COLA is above 3%, FERS annuities rise by the COLA minus one point, so 2.6%. Regular FERS retirees get no COLA until they turn 62; disability and survivor annuitants get it at any age. The full math is on the 2027 COLA page.

The maximum benefit at full retirement age rises from $4,152 to $4,188 a month. It reflects a full 35-year career at or above the wage base, so almost no federal employee reaches it. The Social Security Fairness Act ended the Windfall Elimination Provision; see the WEP/GPO repeal.

6. The numbers that never change

Three figures are not indexed, and each one quietly costs more every year:

• The benefit-taxation thresholds, $25,000 single and $32,000 joint of provisional income for the 50% tier and $34,000 / $44,000 for the 85% tier, have been fixed since 1984 and 1993. Every COLA pushes more retirees over them. See the Social Security tax surprise.
• The earnings-test withholding ratios, $1 for $2 and $1 for $3, are set by law.
• The payroll tax rates, 6.2% and 1.45%, and the 0.9% additional Medicare tax threshold of $200,000 single / $250,000 joint, are set by law and not indexed.

7. What to do now

• If you get the FERS supplement and work: keep 2027 wages under $25,560, or plan for a cut from July 2028.
• If you’re deciding when to claim: the COLA raises everyone’s base; the reduction and credit percentages don’t change. Decide on the merits.
• If you earn above the cap: withholding runs a little later into the year; self-employed people should adjust estimated payments.
• Watch for your new amount: SSA posts each person’s 2027 benefit in their my Social Security message center starting in late November.
• Medicare: the 2027 Part B premium comes out of the same check; CMS sets it in November. See the 2027 IRMAA preview.

8. Update log

9. Frequently asked questions