Social Security beneficiaries who want to read their 2027 cost-of-living notice online have a date to meet: November 18. The Social Security Administration said in an October 14 news release that people without an account must create a my Social Security account and enroll in paperless notices by that day, or the notice will come by mail in December.
The notice is the letter that tells each beneficiary their new monthly amount. The increase itself is 3.6 percent for 2027, and November 18 decides only how early a person can see the letter, not whether the raise arrives.
What is the increase, and when does the notice come?
The SSA announcement sets the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment at 3.6 percent. On average, retirement benefits will rise by $75 per month. Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said, “Social Security will implement this cost-of-living adjustment for 76 million Americans.”
People with a personal my Social Security account can see their notice online beginning in late November, SSA says, about three weeks before a paper notice would arrive by mail. Anyone who has not enrolled in paperless notices gets the notice by mail in December.
There is no sign that the mailed notice carries a different amount. It is the same notice, delivered later.
What has to be done before November 18?
SSA’s release names two steps for people who do not yet have an online account. First, create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount, the agency’s free online portal. Second, enroll in paperless notices. Both have to be done by November 18 for the notice to appear online.
Someone who already has an account still has the paperless step to check. SSA says people who have not enrolled in paperless notices will receive the notice by mail in December, and the release does not say that an existing account alone is enough.
Retirement deadlines, in your inbox: Miss an enrollment or claim deadline and the money can be gone. The Retirement Money Brief keeps you ahead of the ones that matter, every weekday.
Get the Retirement Money Brief →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Account holders can also sign up for text or email alerts for new items in the Message Center, which is where the cost-of-living notice will be posted.
The 76 million figure Bisignano cited covers everyone receiving the 3.6 percent increase, and each of them will get a notice, online or on paper. The online route is simply the faster of the two, and it depends on finishing both steps before November 18.
Does missing November 18 cost anyone money?
No. The deadline is for seeing the notice online, not for receiving the increase. The 3.6 percent adjustment applies to all 76 million beneficiaries, whether they read the notice on a screen in late November or open an envelope in December.
The practical difference is time. A beneficiary who waits for mail learns the new amount about three weeks after those who see it online. For someone who budgets around a fixed check, that gap decides when household bills, Medicare premium changes and other costs can be lined up against the new figure.
Who gains most from the online notice?
People who manage a tight monthly budget, who live far from a mailbox, or who share the mail with a household member gain the most from seeing the amount early. The online notice also gives a record that is easy to find later.
The paperless step has one cost. Someone who enrolls stops getting those notices on paper, so checking the Message Center becomes part of the routine. Text or email alerts, which SSA offers to account holders, are how the agency suggests staying on top of that.
Anyone who has been putting off the account now has a reason to do it before November 18. The agency has not announced an extension of that date, and the sign-up is free.
Setting up the account before November 18?
The notice only shows the new monthly amount. A person who sees the 3.6 percent increase in late November still needs to know when each payment lands and what to do if one does not. Missing that date is how a bill gets paid before the deposit arrives.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit includes the 2026 payment calendar, a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment, and an overpayment response worksheet. It shows when the money arrives, so the new amount can be matched to the right dates.
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- The New $6,000 Senior Deduction and 14 More Tax Moves for Retirees
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
