MIAMI, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2026) — Monthly Social Security benefits will rise 3.6% in 2027, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced Oct. 14 [1]. The change reaches deep into Florida. SSA's own records show more than 5.1 million people in the state were collecting Social Security benefits at the end of 2024 [2].

The national numbers

SSA says the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, will apply to nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries starting in January 2027 [1]. Larger payments for about 7.3 million people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) begin Dec. 31, 2026. Some people receive both [1]. On average, SSA says, retirement benefits will rise by $75 a month [1].

SSA also announced other changes for 2027 [3]:

  • Taxable maximum: the most earnings subject to the Social Security tax rises to $192,300.
  • Earnings limit before full retirement age: rises to $25,560. SSA deducts $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above that.
  • Earnings limit in the year you reach full retirement age: rises to $67,920, with $1 deducted for every $3 earned above it.

How the increase is figured

By law, the COLA follows the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics [1]. SSA says the goal is to keep inflation from eroding benefits. If prices don't rise, there's no COLA [3].

The Florida picture

SSA's county data for December 2024 counted 5,161,992 Social Security beneficiaries in Florida. More than 4 million of them were retired workers [2]. Together, they received more than $9.5 billion in benefits that month [2].

Counties with the most beneficiaries in that count [2]:

  • Miami-Dade: 453,930
  • Broward: 355,615
  • Palm Beach: 349,615
  • Hillsborough: 266,195
  • Pinellas: 261,065

On the Space Coast, Brevard County had 181,935 beneficiaries [2]. These are 2024 counts, the latest county figures we found, and they don't include people who receive only SSI.

When you'll see your new amount

SSA says beneficiaries with a personal "my Social Security" account can see their COLA notice online starting in late November [1]. To see it online, people without an account need to create one and sign up for paperless notices by Nov. 18 [1]. Everyone else gets a one-page notice by mail in December [1]. SSA asks people to wait until January before contacting the agency about a mailed notice [4].

Sources

  1. Social Security Administration, "Social Security Announces 3.6 Percent Benefit Increase for 2027" (Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/press/releases/2026-10-14.html
  2. Social Security Administration, "OASDI Beneficiaries by State and County, 2024 – Florida," Tables 4 and 5: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/oasdi_sc/2024/fl.html
  3. Social Security Administration, "Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2027": https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/cola/index.html
  4. Social Security Administration FAQ, "How much will the COLA amount be for 2027 and when will I receive it?": https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/questions/KA-01951.html

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