Supplemental Security Income, known as SSI, has two layers of money. The federal government sets one amount for the whole country, and some states add their own payment on top of it. The raise for 2027 changes only the federal layer, and the first larger payment is scheduled for the last day of this year.
Social Security announced the increase on Oct. 14, 2026, as part of a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment. For people on SSI, the date to watch is December 31, and the amount that arrives depends partly on where the recipient lives.
What does the new federal SSI figure look like, and will a state supplement change what lands in the bank account?
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When the increased SSI payment arrives
Social Security’s Oct. 14 announcement says the 3.6 percent increase applies to benefits for 2027. It also says “increased payments to about 7.3 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2026.”
That means the raise does not wait for January. People who receive SSI will see the new amount in the payment dated Dec. 31, which is the first payment at the higher rate.
Some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits, and the agency’s COLA information page notes this. Anyone in that group gets the increase on both benefits, though the dates for the two can differ.
The federal amount, labeled by year
Social Security’s 2027 COLA fact sheet calls the SSI figure the Federal Payment Standard. For an individual, the fact sheet lists $994 a month for 2026 and $1,029 a month for 2027. For a couple, it lists $1,491 a month for 2026 and $1,544 a month for 2027.
These are the most the federal program pays, not what every recipient gets. Social Security’s page on how much a person could get from SSI says payments can be lower depending on income, the income of others in the household, and living situation. The page gives the 2026 maximums as $994 for an individual and $1,491 for a couple.
What a state supplement adds
The federal figure is the same in every state. A state supplement is separate, and the 2027 fact sheet does not list any state amounts.
Social Security’s page says that some states offer an extra payment called a “state supplement” to help with food and shelter costs, and that this type of payment will not reduce SSI. The agency’s SSI benefits guide puts it this way: “Some States supplement the Federal SSI benefit with additional payments.” The same guide says Social Security runs the supplement in some states, while other states run it themselves.
The practical result is that two people with the same federal check can have different total incomes. Whether a state raises its own supplement for 2027 is a decision for that state, and the federal announcement does not speak to it. A recipient who gets a supplement can look to the state agency or the notice that comes with the payment for the new figure.
Notices and what to keep an eye on
Social Security says COLA notices will be available online to most beneficiaries in late November 2026 through the Message Center in a my Social Security account. The agency says online notices are available to people who created their account by Nov. 18, 2026.
A higher federal payment does not change the rules about income and resources. SSI is still tied to what a person earns, what they own and where they live, and a change in any of those can move the payment up or down. The 3.6 percent raise also does not reach other income, so a household that counts on a modest SSI check can compare the new total against its monthly costs before January.
The agency's main SSI page was updated on Oct. 21, 2026, and sends people to its amount and reporting pages. That is where a recipient can see the latest wording on what must be reported and when.
Will the December 31 payment match the federal figure, and what does a state add?
A raised federal amount can still arrive smaller than expected if income, resources or living arrangements changed, and a state supplement, where one exists, is a separate figure that is easy to overlook. SSI payments that shrink after an unreported change can lead to an overpayment that Social Security later asks to recover.
The SSI & Disability Action Kit lays out the 2026 SSI income and resource limits and the review and reporting steps, so a recipient can compare a new payment against the rules. Part 5 covers reviews, reporting and overpayments, and the kit includes an income and resource organizer to keep the numbers in one place.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
