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🇦🇷 Argentina /Economy & Trade

Social Security 2027: COLA projection falls, pointing to a monthly increase for retirees

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • The Senior Citizens League lowered its projected 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to 3.6%, down from earlier estimates of 3.8% and 3.9%.
  • If adopted, the adjustment would add an estimated average of $69.75 a month, although each retiree’s increase would depend on their benefit amount.
  • The Social Security Administration will calculate the final COLA using inflation data from July through September, while higher Medicare Part B premiums could reduce the amount retirees keep.

The projected Social Security increase for 2027 has fallen to 3.6%, according to the Senior Citizens League, but it would still exceed the 2.8% adjustment in effect for 2026. The nonpartisan organization lowered its estimate in August after the July inflation figures became available.

The latest projection is below the 3.8% forecast issued in June and July, and the 3.9% estimate made in May. Using the benefit base in its August calculation, TSCL estimates that a 3.6% COLA would produce an average monthly increase of about $69.75. The actual increase would vary according to each retiree’s benefit.

The figure remains provisional because the Social Security Administration does not calculate the COLA from July inflation alone. Under the legal formula, it compares the average CPI-W for July, August and September 2026 with the average for the same three months of 2025. Faster price growth in August and September could push the adjustment higher, while slower inflation could reduce it.

The SSA will make the final calculation after the September CPI-W is released. TSCL expects the official announcement on October 14, 2026, with the new amounts appearing in January 2027 payments. The estimate also does not show exactly how much additional money many retirees will have available, because Medicare premiums may absorb part of the increase. The standard Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026, while Medicare trustees projected a 2027 premium of $209.50, though the government has not finalized that figure. A 3.6% COLA would exceed the adjustments for 2024, 2025 and 2026, but remain well below the exceptional 8.7% increase in 2023.

About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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