Get an alert when the official 2027 Federal Retiree COLA is announced
Enter an email address here to get an alert the moment the 2027 Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)/Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and Social Security COLA is finalized.
This free COLA calculator for federal retirees shows what the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) means for your Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuity, and how much of the increase is left after the Medicare Part B premium and your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premium change.
- Select your retirement system.
- Enter your current monthly annuity. Add your Social Security if you receive it.
- Your result appears automatically in the gold box below, or click Calculate.
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For FERS retirees receiving COLAs. CSRS retirees receive the full COLA every year, so no reduction applies to them. Enter your annuity and the first year you received a COLA. Your result appears in the gold box below, or click Calculate.
Estimates for general information and educational use only. The COLA is set by the Social Security Administration and applied by the Office of Personnel Management before taxes and other withholding. Actual amounts depend on individual circumstances, prorated first-year COLAs, income-related Medicare surcharges, taxes and other deductions. This is not financial, tax or legal advice. See the federal retiree COLA history and the COLA guide.
How the COLA Calculator Works
Choose your retirement system, enter your current monthly annuity and, if you receive one, your Social Security benefit. The calculator applies the 2027 COLA to each amount, subtracts the change in your Medicare Part B premium and any FEHB increase you enter, and shows your net change in monthly pay before taxes.
FERS retirees can also open the second tab, “FERS COLA vs. full COLA over time,” to compare the FERS reduction, often called the “diet COLA,” with a full COLA since their first COLA and over the next 20 years.
FERS COLA vs. CSRS COLA: Why the Amounts Differ
Social Security beneficiaries and CSRS retirees receive the full COLA. FERS retirees receive a reduced COLA when inflation is above 2 percent:
| If the Social Security/CSRS COLA is… | The FERS COLA is… |
|---|---|
| 2% or less | The same as the Social Security/CSRS COLA |
| Above 2% and up to 3% | A flat 2% |
| Above 3% | The Social Security/CSRS COLA minus 1 percentage point |
The federal retiree COLA history shows how this gap has built up year by year, and the Equal COLA Act would end the FERS reduction.
Why Your COLA Increase May Be Smaller After Medicare Part B
The standard Medicare Part B premium usually rises at the same time as the COLA, and for most beneficiaries it is deducted from the Social Security check. FEHB premiums also change every January. The calculator subtracts both so you can see your net increase instead of only the gross percentage. Premium changes vary by plan, so enter your own FEHB change if you know it. See the Medicare premiums page and the FEHB premium rates page for current figures.
Where the COLA Percentage Comes From
The Social Security Administration (SSA) sets the COLA each year based on the average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for July, August and September, compared with the same three months of the last year a COLA was paid. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes the CPI-W, and SSA explains the formula on its cost-of-living adjustment page. Before the official announcement, the calculator uses the running estimate and lets you test other outcomes. After the announcement, it uses the official figure. The latest numbers are on the CSRS/FERS COLA Watch page, and the guide to federal retiree COLAs explains the formula in more detail.
When Do FERS Retirees Start Getting a COLA?
Most FERS retirees do not receive an annuity COLA until age 62. Exceptions include disability retirees, survivor annuitants and certain special provision retirees, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers. The FERS Special Retirement Supplement never receives a COLA. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes the official rules.
When Will the 2027 COLA Show Up in My Payment?
The COLA takes effect December 1. Social Security beneficiaries see the increase in the benefit paid in January, and CSRS and FERS annuitants see the new annuity in the January payment. SSA typically mails Social Security notices in December, and anyone with a my Social Security account can view the new amount online.