Enter your situation
Start with who you are and any unearned income. Wages and COLA % sit under More options.
Social Security, pensions, VA payments, unemployment and similar. For a couple, enter the combined total. Enter 0 if none.
More options wages, Social Security toggle, COLA %
Gross wages before taxes. Assumed to stay the same in 2027.
Your 2027 federal SSI payment (estimate)
Projected$1,028.00 /month
Federal SSI after countable income
Scenarios: what you would get if the official COLA 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 SSI amounts are not official yet (expected with the COLA on October 14, 2026). With our projected 3.5% COLA, an estimate from BLS CPI-W data, the federal SSI maximum would be about $1,028 a month for an individual and $1,543 for a couple, up from $994 and $1,491. The first payment at the new amount arrives December 31, 2026.
2027 SSI payment by Social Security income (estimate)
Federal SSI payment at the projected 3.5% COLA when your only other income is a Social Security benefit (which also rises with the COLA); 2026 payment underneath. No wages, no state supplement. On a phone, swipe sideways.
| Social Security now | Individual | Couple |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $1,028.002026: $994.00 | $1,543.002026: $1,491.00 |
| $100 | $945.002026: $914.00 | $1,460.002026: $1,411.00 |
| $300 | $738.002026: $714.00 | $1,253.002026: $1,211.00 |
| $500 | $531.002026: $514.00 | $1,046.002026: $1,011.00 |
| $700 | $324.002026: $314.00 | $839.002026: $811.00 |
| $900 | $117.002026: $114.00 | $632.002026: $611.00 |
Worked example
Someone whose only income is a $300 Social Security check gets $994 − ($300 − $20) = $714 from SSI in 2026. With the projected 3.5% COLA, the check rises to $310, so countable income is $290 and SSI becomes $1,028 − $290 = $738, up $24 a month.
What the federal SSI payment should be in 2027, and a calculator for your own check after Social Security or wages are counted. Built on SSA's published 2026 amounts and method.
The 2027 SSI federal payment amounts
In 2026 the most SSI pays from federal funds is $994 a month for an eligible individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple. Those maximums rise every January by the same percentage as Social Security. With the projected 2027 COLA of 3.5%, they would become about $1,028 for an individual and $1,543 for a couple, and $515 for an essential person. These are projections until SSA publishes the official amounts.
How SSA gets from the COLA to a whole-dollar amount
SSA does not raise $994 directly. It keeps an unrounded yearly figure for each category ($11,929.46 for an individual, $17,892.21 for a couple, $5,978.41 for an essential person in 2026), increases it by the COLA, divides by 12 and drops the cents. That is why two COLAs a tenth of a percent apart can produce the same monthly maximum, and why the couple amount is not exactly 1.5 times the individual amount. The table shows the result for a range of possible COLAs.
| 2027 COLA | Individual | Couple | Essential person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2% | $1,025 | $1,538 | $514 |
| 3.3% | $1,026 | $1,540 | $514 |
| 3.4% | $1,027 | $1,541 | $515 |
| 3.5% | $1,028 | $1,543 | $515 |
| 3.6% | $1,029 | $1,544 | $516 |
| 3.7% | $1,030 | $1,546 | $516 |
| 3.8% | $1,031 | $1,547 | $517 |
Computed with SSA's published method from the 2026 unrounded amounts. Only the row matching the official COLA will apply.
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.
Why your own SSI payment is usually lower than the maximum
SSI is reduced by countable income. SSA ignores the first $20 of most income each month, then the first $65 of wages and half of the wages above that. Everything else is subtracted from the federal maximum. For example, someone whose only income is a $300 Social Security check has $280 of countable income, so in 2026 they get $994 − $280 = $714 from SSI. In 2027 their Social Security check also goes up with the COLA, which raises their countable income a little, so their SSI rises by less than the full COLA. The calculator handles that for you.
Many states add a supplement on top of the federal amount, and living in someone else's household can lower the payment. Neither is included here. The resource limit, $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple, is set in law and does not change with the COLA.
When the first 2027 payment arrives
SSI is normally paid on the first of the month. Because January 1, 2027 is a holiday, the January 2027 payment at the new rate is paid on December 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much will SSI be in 2027?
The official amounts come with the COLA announcement expected on October 14, 2026. With the projected 3.5% COLA, the federal maximum would be about $1,028 a month for an individual and $1,543 for a couple, up from $994 and $1,491 in 2026. These are projections, not official figures.
When will I get the first 2027 SSI payment?
On December 31, 2026. SSI is paid on the first of the month, and because January 1 is a holiday the January payment is always made at the end of December.
How does SSA calculate the new SSI amount?
SSA increases the unrounded annual amount for each category by the COLA, divides by 12 and rounds down to the whole dollar. For 2026 the unrounded annual amounts were $11,929.46 for an individual and $17,892.21 for a couple.
Why is my SSI check smaller than the maximum?
SSA subtracts your countable income. The first $20 of most income is ignored, then the first $65 of wages and half of the rest of your wages. State supplements can add to the federal amount, and living arrangements can reduce it.
If my Social Security goes up, will my SSI go down?
Partly. The COLA raises both your Social Security benefit and the SSI maximum by the same percentage, but because your Social Security counts as income for SSI, your SSI payment usually rises by a bit less than the full COLA. Your total income from both still goes up.
Is this an official SSA calculator?
No. It is an independent estimate for planning, not affiliated with the Social Security Administration, VA or OPM. Your official amount is in your SSA notice and your my Social Security account.
Sources
- SSA, SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026 ($994 individual, $1,491 couple, $498 essential person; unrounded annual amounts and the rounding method).
- SSA, SSI Income ($20 general and $65-plus-half earned income exclusions; worked examples).
- SSA, SSI Resources ($2,000 / $3,000 resource limits).
- 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.