Your 2027 Social Security raise is already decided — a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announced by the Social Security Administration (SSA) on October 14, 2026, worth an average of about $75 more a month for retirees. But the letter that tells you YOUR exact new amount follows a deadline most people have never heard of: November 18, 2026. Miss it, and you wait weeks longer to see your number. Hit it, and you see your raise online before almost anyone gets a paper letter. What the 3.6% raise means for your check The 3.6% COLA applies to Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability benefits, and to Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The timing splits two ways: Social Security benefits: the higher amount applies to benefits for December 2026, which are payable in January 2027. Your January 2027 deposit is the first one with the raise. SSI: increased payments to about 7.3 million SSI recipients begin December 31, 2026 — because January 1 is a holiday, the J...