SOUTH COAST Social Security benefits will go up 3.6% starting with payments in January, and the most a single person can receive each month from Supplemental Security Income will rise from $994 to $1,029, under the Social Security Administration's yearly notice published in the Federal Register on Monday, Oct. 26.
About one in six residents of New Bedford and Fall River are 65 or older, 15.4% in New Bedford and 16.1% in Fall River, according to Census Bureau estimates. For every $1,000 a person now receives each month, the increase adds $36.
When the money changes
The 3.6% increase applies to benefits for December 2026, which are paid in January 2027, the agency said. It covers people who became eligible before 2027; people first eligible in 2027 do not get it.
SSI payments rise 3.6% for January as well, and the January payment will be paid on Thursday, Dec. 31, the notice says. The new federal maximum for an eligible couple is $1,544 a month, up from $1,491, and the amount for an essential person rises from $498 to $516.
How the raise was set
The increase follows the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a measure produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index averaged 328.746 for July through September 2026, 3.6% higher than its average of 317.265 for the same three months of 2025, the notice says.
For people who still work
Beneficiaries younger than full retirement age can earn up to $25,560 in 2027, up from $24,480 this year, before the agency holds back $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above the limit. In the year a person reaches full retirement age, the limit for the months before that birthday rises to $67,920 from $65,160, with $1 held back for every $3 over it. Full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.
The maximum amount of yearly earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax rises to $192,300 from $184,500. Workers need $1,970 in earnings to be credited with a quarter of coverage in 2027, up from $1,890, so earning all four quarters for 2027 takes $7,880.
For people with disabilities
For people with a disability, earnings above $1,770 a month in 2027, up from $1,690, ordinarily count as substantial gainful activity, the level of work that the disability programs require a person be unable to do. The figure for people who are blind rises to $2,950 from $2,830. A month counts toward the nine-month trial work period when earnings top $1,270, up from $1,210.
In Fall River, 17.2% of residents under 65 have a disability, and in New Bedford 13.2%, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey figures.
What to do
Questions about eligibility or benefits go to the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or ssa.gov, the notice says. People on Medicare can compare their 2027 plans through Monday, Dec. 7, as SC360 reported.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every Social Security and SSI figure comes from the Social Security Administration's notice in the Federal Register of Oct. 26, which we read on Oct. 29. The New Bedford and Fall River figures come from the Census Bureau's QuickFacts, read the same day. The $36 for every $1,000, the yearly earnings limits for 2026 and the $7,880 for four quarters are our arithmetic from the notice's figures. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. No other news outlet is a source for this story.
Corrections
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Sources (4)
- Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027Social Security Administration notice, Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 205, pages 67380 to 67385, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 (Docket No. SSA-2026-1024; FR Doc. 2026-21796, filed Oct. 23, 2026). 3.6 percent increase for December 2026 benefits payable January 2027 and thereafter; SSI up 3.6 percent for January 2027, paid Dec. 31, 2026; SSI maximums $994, $1,491, $498 (2026) to $1,029, $1,544, $516 (2027); CPI-W third-quarter averages 317.265 (2025) and 328.746 (2026); earnings test exempt amounts $2,040 to $2,130 a month ($25,560 a year) and $5,430 to $5,660 a month ($67,920 a year); full retirement age 67 for those born in 1960 or later; contribution and benefit base $184,500 to $192,300; quarter of coverage $1,890 to $1,970; substantial gainful activity $1,690 to $1,770, blind $2,830 to $2,950; trial work period $1,210 to $1,270; phone 1-800-772-1213, TTY 1-800-325-0778. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Federal Register PDF, 91 FR 67380 to 67385U.S. Government Publishing Office copy of the same notice. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- QuickFacts: New Bedford city and Fall River city, MassachusettsU.S. Census Bureau. Persons 65 years and over: New Bedford 15.4%, Fall River 16.1%. With a disability, under age 65 years, 2020 to 2024: New Bedford 13.2%, Fall River 17.2%. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Medicare Advantage premiums rise in Massachusetts for 2027 as open enrollment runs to Dec. 7SC360, Oct. 26, 2026 (open enrollment ends Monday, Dec. 7). Read Oct. 29, 2026.