Social Security beneficiaries are being forecast to receive a 2027 cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, of 3.4% to 3.6%, with the official figure scheduled for release on October 14 and payments beginning in January. A 3.4% adjustment would add about $71 to the average retirement benefit, which was approximately $2,086 a month in July. The projections exceed the 2.8% COLA for 2026 and the roughly 2.6% average increase over the past 20 years. The adjustment is calculated from average CPI-W readings for July, August and September. August consumer prices rose 0.4% from the previous month and 3.4% over 12 months, while core inflation was 2.4%. Forecasts range from 3.4% by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget to 3.5% from Mary Johnson and the Senior Citizens League, and 3.6% from AARP. A higher COLA helps beneficiaries keep pace with inflation but does not increase their purchasing power, and it adds to pressure on a Social Security trust fund projected to face automatic benefit cuts in 2032 without congressional action.