COLA Ledger

An independent reference — not affiliated with the Social Security Administration. Every figure traced to the government publication that produced it.

When the COLA is announced, and why the date moves

There is no fixed announcement date written into the statute. There is a fixed dependency: the adjustment cannot be computed until the September CPI-W is published, and it has been announced the same morning as that release in every recent year.

September 2026 CPI-W — scheduled release

14 Oct 2026

At 08:30 Eastern. SSA has announced the adjustment the same morning as this release in every recent year.

September 2026 CPI-W is scheduled for release at 08:30 ET on Wednesday 14 October 2026.

What decides it
September CPI-Wthe last of three months
Release time
08:30 ETevery CPI release
Medicare premium
27 September – 17 NovemberCMS, 2018 to 2026 premiums
First payment
January 2027effective with December benefits

The chain that fixes the date

  1. BLS publishes the September Consumer Price Index in the middle of October, at 08:30 Eastern. For the 2027 adjustment BLS scheduled it for 14 October 2026.
  2. The September figure completes the third quarter — July and August are already known — so the quarterly average can be computed the moment it lands.
  3. SSA announces the adjustment the same morning, alongside the following year’s programme parameters.
  4. The adjustment is effective with benefits payable for December, which means the first payment carrying it arrives in January.
2026 CPI release schedule as BLS published it, with the one that matters
Reference monthScheduled release dateSignificance
January 202613 February 2026Does not affect the adjustment
February 202611 March 2026Does not affect the adjustment
March 202610 April 2026Does not affect the adjustment
April 202612 May 2026Does not affect the adjustment
May 202610 June 2026Does not affect the adjustment
June 202614 July 2026Does not affect the adjustment
July 202612 August 2026Counts toward the quarterly average
August 202611 September 2026Counts toward the quarterly average
September 202614 October 2026Completes the quarter — the adjustment is announced the same morning
October 202610 November 2026Does not affect the adjustment
November 202610 December 2026Does not affect the adjustment

The year the date moved

In 2025 the September release was scheduled for the middle of October. An appropriations lapse began on 1 October and statistical publication stopped. BLS recalled staff specifically to produce the September index, released it nine days later than scheduled, and SSA announced the 2.8% adjustment the same morning it landed.

Why September survives a shutdown and October did not

September reference-period data is collected during September — before the fiscal year turns on 1 October. The data already existed when the lapse began; only the processing and publication were interrupted, and those can be resumed.

October reference-period data would have had to be collected during October, while collection was suspended. It never was, and it could not be gathered retroactively. That month does not exist and never will. The month that never was.

The practical lesson for anyone tracking the announcement: treat the scheduled date as expected rather than certain, and watch for the BLS release rather than a calendar entry. This site polls the release rather than the date, for exactly that reason.

The second announcement, on its own schedule

CMS announces the following year’s Medicare Part B premium, deductible and income-related brackets separately, and not on a fixed date: it released the 2018 to 2026 premiums on dates from 27 September (the 2023 premium) to 17 November (the 2018 premium). That is the number that decides how much of the adjustment actually lands in January, and it can come before the adjustment or weeks after it. Until both are out, a gross figure exists and a net one does not. CMS’s release dates, year by year, and what they mean for the arithmetic.

Common questions

When is the 2027 COLA announced?

September 2026 CPI-W is scheduled for release at 08:30 ET on Wednesday 14 October 2026. SSA has announced the adjustment the same morning in every recent year. Treat that as the expected date rather than a guaranteed one.

Why is it always October?

Because the September index is the last of the three that decide it, and September data is not published until the middle of October. There is nothing to announce before then, and payments have to be reprogrammed before January, so the announcement cannot wait much longer either.

Can a government shutdown stop the announcement?

It can delay it. It essentially cannot prevent it, because September survey data is collected before the fiscal year turns on 1 October. In 2025 the release moved nine days and the adjustment was announced the same morning it landed.

When is the Medicare premium announced?

Separately, by CMS, on its own schedule: it released the 2018 to 2026 premiums on dates from 27 September (the 2023 premium) to 17 November (the 2018 premium). Until both numbers are out, the gross figure exists and the net one does not.

Related

Sources and freshness

Page figures last verified against the sources above on 23 September 2026. BLS data retrieved 23 September 2026. BLS.gov cannot vouch for data or analyses derived from these data after retrieval. Corrections: the correction log · support@inventum.com.au