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Social Security beneficiaries could face a 22% across-the-board benefit reduction in 2032 without congressional action, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), as a new cost-of-living adjustment renews debate over the program’s financial future.
The warning comes as Social Security’s retirement trust fund approaches a projected 2032 depletion date, putting pressure on lawmakers to address the program’s long-term funding shortfall.
Social Security recipients will receive a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment in 2027, raising the average retired worker’s monthly benefit by about $75, from $2,095 to $2,170, according to estimates cited by AARP.
The increase, announced by the Social Security Administration on Wednesday, will take effect with December benefits, which are paid in January.
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Two people enter a Social Security Administration office in suburban Detroit. (Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The 2027 increase is the highest COLA in four years and compares with a 2.8% adjustment this year. It reflects inflation readings from the third quarter, including a 3.9% year-over-year increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers in September.
The boost comes as many older Americans continue to face higher costs for groceries, utilities, insurance and healthcare. The standard Medicare Part B premium is also projected to rise by $6.60 per month in 2027, to $209.50, according to AARP.
CRFB estimates the 3.6% adjustment will add about $900 annually to the average retiree’s benefits, even as the program’s projected funding shortfall raises questions about the sustainability of future payments.
A woman walks into a Social Security office in Houston, Texas, on July 13, 2022. (Mark Felix/The Washington Post / Getty Images)
But the increase will not be distributed equally in dollar terms. CRFB estimates that while the average retiree will receive about $900 more annually, the highest-benefit recipients could see increases exceeding $2,200. The group said the highest-earning couples who retired this year at normal retirement age could receive a combined $3,600 increase, pushing their annual benefits above $100,000.
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The larger dollar increases come amid a broader generational economic divide. A Federal Reserve report released in May found that just 63% of adults ages 18 to 29 reported doing okay financially or living comfortably in 2025, compared with 83% of adults ages 60 and older. Nearly half of adults under 30 received financial assistance from someone outside their household to cover expenses during the year.
An eagle tops the U.S. Federal Reserve building’s facade in Washington, July 31, 2013. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
The financial pressures facing younger Americans add another dimension to the debate over Social Security’s future. Current workers help fund the program through payroll taxes, even as its retirement trust fund faces a projected shortfall. According to the Social Security trustees’ 2026 report, the fund is expected to exhaust its reserves in 2032, leaving continuing income sufficient to cover about 78% of scheduled retirement and survivor benefits without changes to the law.
CRFB has advocated for changes to the way COLAs are calculated, including using a different inflation measure or placing a dollar cap on increases for higher-income beneficiaries. The group also supports additional revenue and other benefit reforms to improve the program’s finances.
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AARP, however, opposes proposals to reduce or cap annual COLAs, arguing that the adjustments already fall short of keeping pace with the costs older Americans face.
