Enter your annuity
Gross monthly annuity from your OPM statement. More options cover start month and eligibility.
The gross annuity on your OPM statement, before health, life insurance and tax deductions. For FERS, leave out the annuity supplement.
More options start month, FERS eligibility, COLA %
Your first COLA is prorated if your annuity began in 2026.
CSRS annuities get the COLA at any age.
Your 2027 gross annuity (estimate)
Projected$2,562 /month
Gross monthly annuity after COLA rules
Scenarios: what you would get if the official CPI-W increase lands 0.4 points lower or higher than the one used. They are not forecasts.
Estimate, not official yet: SSA is expected to announce the 2027 COLA on Oct 14, 2026.
Status on October 9, 2026: the official 2027 COLA has not been announced yet; SSA is expected to release it on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Until then this page uses a projected COLA of 3.5%, worked out from the CPI-W figures the Bureau of Labor Statistics has already published (method below). You can type any other percentage under More options.
Short answer (as of ): the 2027 COLA is not official yet (expected October 14, 2026). With our projected CPI-W increase of 3.5%, an estimate from BLS data, CSRS annuities would rise 3.5% and eligible FERS annuities 2.5%, because FERS gets one point less when inflation is above 3%. The increase takes effect December 1, 2026 and is first paid in January 2027.
2027 annuity at a glance (estimate)
New gross monthly annuity at the projected 3.5% CPI-W increase, for a full-year retiree (FERS: age 62 or another eligible group). On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
| 2026 annuity | FERS (2.5%) | CSRS (3.5%) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $1,025+$25/mo | $1,035+$35/mo |
| $1,500 | $1,537+$37/mo | $1,552+$52/mo |
| $2,000 | $2,050+$50/mo | $2,070+$70/mo |
| $2,500 | $2,562+$62/mo | $2,587+$87/mo |
| $3,000 | $3,075+$75/mo | $3,105+$105/mo |
| $4,000 | $4,100+$100/mo | $4,140+$140/mo |
| $5,000 | $5,125+$125/mo | $5,175+$175/mo |
Worked example
A FERS retiree aged 62 or older with a $2,500 gross monthly annuity who retired before December 2025: a 3.5% CPI-W increase gives a FERS COLA of 2.5%. $2,500 × 1.025 = $2,562.50, which OPM rounds down to $2,562, a raise of $62 a month. A CSRS retiree with the same annuity gets the full 3.5%: $2,587.
Enter your gross monthly annuity to see your 2027 FERS or CSRS cost-of-living increase. The calculator applies OPM's rules for the FERS cap, first-year proration, the age-62 requirement and rounding.
How the 2027 FERS and CSRS COLA is set
Federal civilian annuities get their cost-of-living adjustment from the same CPI-W measurement that drives Social Security. OPM applies the full percentage to CSRS annuities. FERS uses a different rule, often called the "diet COLA": when inflation is 2% or less, FERS retirees get the full amount; between 2% and 3% they get exactly 2%; above 3% they get the CPI-W increase minus one percentage point.
For 2026 that meant 2.8% for CSRS and 2.0% for FERS, effective December 1, 2025. With the projected 2027 increase of 3.5%, CSRS would get 3.5% and FERS 2.5%.
| CPI-W increase (COLA) | CSRS COLA | FERS COLA |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.0% |
| 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.0% |
| 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| 3.2% | 3.2% | 2.2% |
| 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| 3.5% | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| 3.6% | 3.6% | 2.6% |
| 3.8% | 3.8% | 2.8% |
| 4.0% | 4.0% | 3.0% |
This table follows the rule in OPM's CSRS/FERS Handbook, chapter 2. It is not a forecast; find the row that matches the official figure once it is out.
Where the 3.5% projection comes from
The COLA is set by a fixed formula: the average CPI-W for July, August and September 2026, compared with the 2025 third-quarter average of 317.265, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. BLS has published July 2026 (327.104) and August 2026 (328.481). September is not out yet, so we assume it rises over September 2025 (318.139) at the same 3.5% annual pace as August. That gives a third-quarter average of about 328.309, which is 3.48% above the base, or 3.5% after rounding. This is a projection, not an announcement. A September CPI-W between roughly 329.05 and 330.00 keeps the result at 3.5%; a lower reading gives 3.4% or less, a higher one 3.6% or more.
How OPM turns the percentage into your new annuity
OPM multiplies your gross monthly annuity (after any reductions for a survivor benefit, early retirement or an unpaid deposit, but before deductions for health insurance, life insurance and taxes) by one plus the COLA, then rounds down to the whole dollar. The increase is never less than $1. In OPM's own example, a $1,775.00 annuity with a 2.8% COLA becomes $1,824.
Retired during 2026? Your first COLA is prorated
You get one-twelfth of the COLA for each month you were on the annuity roll before December 1, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. An annuity that began in December 2025 or earlier gets the full amount; one that began in August 2026 gets four-twelfths; one that begins in December 2026 waits for the 2028 COLA. FERS retirees under 62 who are not yet eligible get the full, unprorated COLA the first time they qualify after turning 62.
Who does not get a FERS COLA yet
Regular FERS retirees receive COLAs only from age 62. Disability retirees, special-provision retirees such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers, and survivor annuitants get them at any age, except that disability retirees in their first year, while paid 60% of high-3 salary, do not receive a COLA. If part of your FERS annuity is computed under CSRS rules, that part follows the CSRS COLA.
Frequently asked questions
What will the FERS COLA be for 2027?
It depends on the official CPI-W increase announced around October 14, 2026. Under the FERS rule, an increase of 2% or less passes through in full, an increase between 2% and 3% becomes 2%, and anything above 3% is reduced by one percentage point. With the projected 3.5%, FERS would get 2.5% and CSRS the full 3.5%. These are projections until the official figure is released.
When will the 2027 COLA appear in my annuity?
The COLA takes effect December 1, 2026 and is first paid in the January 2027 annuity payment.
I am under 62. Will I get the 2027 FERS COLA?
Not if you are a regular FERS retiree; COLAs start once you are 62. Disability retirees, special-provision retirees such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers, and survivor annuitants get FERS COLAs at any age.
I retired in 2026. How much of the COLA do I get?
Your first COLA is prorated: one-twelfth of the percentage for each month you were on the annuity roll before December 1, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. Pick your annuity start month in the calculator to see the prorated rate.
Why is my new annuity a whole-dollar amount?
OPM rounds the gross monthly annuity down to the next lower dollar after applying the COLA, and guarantees an increase of at least $1.
Is this an OPM calculator?
No. It is an independent estimate for planning, not affiliated with the Office of Personnel Management, SSA or VA. Your official amount is on your OPM annuity statement and in Services Online.
Sources
- OPM, CSRS/FERS Handbook, Chapter 2: Cost-of-Living Adjustments (FERS COLA rule, rounding down to the whole dollar, $1 minimum, proration, age-62 rule and exceptions).
- OPM, BAL 26-101, Annual Changes (2026 COLA: CSRS 2.8%, FERS 2.0%, effective December 1, 2025; prorated table).
- OPM, Learn more about cost-of-living adjustments.
- BLS, CPI-W series CWUR0000SA0 (not seasonally adjusted): July 2026 = 327.104, August 2026 = 328.481, September 2025 = 318.139, August 2025 = 317.306. data.bls.gov/timeseries/CWUR0000SA0
- SSA, Latest Cost-of-Living Adjustment: COLA formula, 2025 third-quarter CPI-W average 317.265, 2026 COLA 2.8%.
- Projection: the 3.5% 2027 COLA is this site's own projection from the BLS figures above, not an official number.