Social Security is the retirement income lifeline for millions of Americans and garners its share of confusing headlines. From the full retirement age and cost-of-living adjustment to the rules for claiming benefits while still working, here is what’s expected to change in 2027.
Changes to the full retirement age
A common concern among those planning for retirement is an ever-increasing Social Security “full retirement age.”
Geoffrey Schmidt, a certified public accountant and founder of Holy Schmidt!, a retirement education resource, told Yahoo Finance that many seniors assume the full retirement age keeps climbing.
“It doesn’t. It has finished its long, slow climb to 67. Anyone born in 1960 or later has a full retirement age of exactly 67, and that group reaches it in 2027,” Schmidt said. “Under current law, it does not go any higher. So if you’ve been worried they’ll keep moving the goalposts on you, at least on the retirement age, that increase is over.”
Read more: What’s the retirement age for Social Security, 401(k)s, and IRA withdrawals?
The cost-of-living adjustment
Social Security recipients also pay close attention to the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. The official 2027 increase is expected to be announced Oct. 14 after the Consumer Price Index report is released. Estimates for the benefit increase are in the 3.5% range.
The average monthly Social Security benefit for a retiree in July was just over $2,000. AARP expects a 3.5% hike in benefits, which would mean about a $73 increase.
“The average monthly benefit for a surviving spouse ($1,933) would rise by about $68, and Social Security Disability Insurance for the average worker with a disability ($1,635) would increase by about $57 a month,” AARP said in an analysis.
Schmidt said that if the COLA comes in at around 3.6%, it would be the largest increase since 2023.
“A COLA isn’t really a raise; it’s catch-up for inflation you already paid, and the 2027 Medicare Part B premium, which comes out later in the fall, usually eats part of it before you ever see it,” he added.
Read more: Here’s what your Social Security COLA could be in 2027
Maximum taxable earnings and earnings limit
Two other Social Security adjustments will also be announced in October.
High-income earners will see a little more taken from their paychecks to cover Social Security benefits. The 2026 maximum taxable earnings cap was $184,500 and is forecast to be around $190,200 in 2027. That would mean a Social Security tax on an additional $5,700 in income, or about $353 for current workers earning above the cap. These are expectations. The final numbers will be released Oct. 14.
The earnings test limits for those who claim benefits before reaching full retirement age but are still working are also expected to increase. The lower threshold in 2026 was about $24,480 and is likely to rise to $25,200. The upper threshold for the year you reach retirement age is likely to move from approximately $65,160 to near $67,200.
“For most retirees who are simply collecting a check, neither one will affect you,” Schmidt said.
What’s not changing: ‘Your 2027 check is not in jeopardy’
There are no Social Security benefit cuts scheduled for 2027 under current law.
Schmidt added that Social Security recipients should set aside the “scary headlines.”
“Nothing taking effect in 2027 cuts your benefit or rewrites the rules against you. The ‘Social Security is running out of money’ conversation is about late 2032, not next year. Your 2027 check is not in jeopardy.”
Read more: Will Social Security go broke in 2032? Here is what’s happening.