United States · Social Security Administration · SSI · 1975 to 2027
SSI payment amount by year.
Fifty-three years of the federal SSI rate for an individual and a couple, the COLA behind each change, and a year picker.
Short answer: The maximum federal SSI payment is $1,029 a month for an eligible individual and $1,544 for an eligible couple in 2027, after a 3.6 percent COLA, up from $994 and $1,491 in 2026. The SSA table runs from July 1975, when the amounts were $157.70 and $236.60, through 2027. Amounts for 1976 to 1983 took effect in July; from 1984 they take effect in January. The table was read from the Internet Archive’s October 26, 2026 capture of ssa.gov because the live page refused our reader.
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The SSA table, 1975 to 2027
The SSA page says: “The table below shows the monthly maximum Federal SSI payment amounts for an eligible individual, and for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, beginning with the amounts for July 1975. For 1976-1983, the amounts shown became effective for July of the stated year. For 1984 and later, the amounts were effective for January.” The COLA column is the cost-of-living adjustment; the SSA notes that the July 1983 increase was a legislated increase and that the 2000 COLA, originally determined as 2.4 percent, is effectively 2.5 percent under Public Law 106-554.
| Year | COLA | Eligible individual | Eligible couple |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 8.0% | $157.70 | $236.60 |
| 1976 | 6.4% | $167.80 | $251.80 |
| 1977 | 5.9% | $177.80 | $266.70 |
| 1978 | 6.5% | $189.40 | $284.10 |
| 1979 | 9.9% | $208.20 | $312.30 |
| 1980 | 14.3% | $238.00 | $357.00 |
| 1981 | 11.2% | $264.70 | $397.00 |
| 1982 | 7.4% | $284.30 | $426.40 |
| 1983 | 7.0% | $304.30 | $456.40 |
| 1984 | 3.5% | $314.00 | $472.00 |
| 1985 | 3.5% | $325.00 | $488.00 |
| 1986 | 3.1% | $336.00 | $504.00 |
| 1987 | 1.3% | $340.00 | $510.00 |
| 1988 | 4.2% | $354.00 | $532.00 |
| 1989 | 4.0% | $368.00 | $553.00 |
| 1990 | 4.7% | $386.00 | $579.00 |
| 1991 | 5.4% | $407.00 | $610.00 |
| 1992 | 3.7% | $422.00 | $633.00 |
| 1993 | 3.0% | $434.00 | $652.00 |
| 1994 | 2.6% | $446.00 | $669.00 |
| 1995 | 2.8% | $458.00 | $687.00 |
| 1996 | 2.6% | $470.00 | $705.00 |
| 1997 | 2.9% | $484.00 | $726.00 |
| 1998 | 2.1% | $494.00 | $741.00 |
| 1999 | 1.3% | $500.00 | $751.00 |
| 2000 | 2.5% | $513.00 | $769.00 |
| 2001 | 3.5% | $531.00 | $796.00 |
| 2002 | 2.6% | $545.00 | $817.00 |
| 2003 | 1.4% | $552.00 | $829.00 |
| 2004 | 2.1% | $564.00 | $846.00 |
| 2005 | 2.7% | $579.00 | $869.00 |
| 2006 | 4.1% | $603.00 | $904.00 |
| 2007 | 3.3% | $623.00 | $934.00 |
| 2008 | 2.3% | $637.00 | $956.00 |
| 2009 | 5.8% | $674.00 | $1,011.00 |
| 2010 | 0.0% | $674.00 | $1,011.00 |
| 2011 | 0.0% | $674.00 | $1,011.00 |
| 2012 | 3.6% | $698.00 | $1,048.00 |
| 2013 | 1.7% | $710.00 | $1,066.00 |
| 2014 | 1.5% | $721.00 | $1,082.00 |
| 2015 | 1.7% | $733.00 | $1,100.00 |
| 2016 | 0.0% | $733.00 | $1,100.00 |
| 2017 | 0.3% | $735.00 | $1,103.00 |
| 2018 | 2.0% | $750.00 | $1,125.00 |
| 2019 | 2.8% | $771.00 | $1,157.00 |
| 2020 | 1.6% | $783.00 | $1,175.00 |
| 2021 | 1.3% | $794.00 | $1,191.00 |
| 2022 | 5.9% | $841.00 | $1,261.00 |
| 2023 | 8.7% | $914.00 | $1,371.00 |
| 2024 | 3.2% | $943.00 | $1,415.00 |
| 2025 | 2.5% | $967.00 | $1,450.00 |
| 2026 | 2.8% | $994.00 | $1,491.00 |
| 2027 | 3.6% | $1,029.00 | $1,544.00 |
What the table shows
The individual rate has risen from $157.70 to $1,029.00, and the couple rate from $236.60 to $1,544.00. Three stretches stand out. The largest single adjustments came early: 14.3 percent for 1980 and 11.2 percent for 1981. The rate stood still twice, at $674 for 2009 through 2011 and at $733 for 2015 and 2016, when the COLA was zero. The 8.7 percent adjustment for 2023 lifted the individual rate from $841 to $914, the biggest dollar jump in the table, and the 3.6 percent adjustment for 2027 adds $35 for an individual and $53 for a couple.
The couple rate is set separately and is less than twice the individual rate: $1,544 against $2,058 for two individuals in 2027. That ratio has held throughout the table.
Worked example
Choosing 2027 in the picker returns $1,029.00 for an individual and $1,544.00 for a couple, a 3.6 percent COLA, an increase of $35.00 and $53.00 over 2026, and an annual maximum of $12,348.00 for an individual. Choosing 2010 returns $674.00 and $1,011.00 with a 0.0 percent COLA and no change from 2009. Choosing 1980 returns $238.00 and $357.00, a 14.3 percent COLA, effective in July of that year.
How this table was read
ssa.gov returns an access-denied response to automated readers, so the table was read from the Internet Archive’s capture of the SSA page dated October 26, 2026, which already carried the 2027 row. The figures in the 2027 row match the SSA figures on the linked 2027 SSI federal benefit rate page. If the SSA revises the page, the live ssa.gov table is the one to trust.
Method
The picker returns the individual and couple amounts and the COLA for the year you choose from the SSA table, computes the dollar change from the previous row and the individual annual maximum (monthly x 12), and labels the effective month as July for 1975 to 1983 and January from 1984. Table read on November 11, 2026 from the Internet Archive capture of ssa.gov dated October 26, 2026.
What this does not cover
- State supplementary payments, which vary by state and living arrangement.
- Reductions for countable earned and unearned income, in-kind support, and the one-third rule.
- Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits, which have their own COLA tables.
- The essential person increment and other categories the SSA lists separately.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- Social Security Administration: SSI Federal Payment Amounts (read on November 11, 2026 from the Internet Archive capture dated October 26, 2026)
Common mix-ups
-
Often assumedThe SSI amount in the table is what every SSI recipient receives.
What the source saysThe SSA table shows the monthly maximum federal payment for an eligible individual and for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse; countable income reduces it and some states add a supplement. [1]
-
Often assumedThe 2027 SSI amount starts with the December 2026 payment.
What the source saysThe SSA says that for 1984 and later the amounts were effective for January, so the $1,029 individual rate is a January 2027 amount. [1]
-
Often assumedAn eligible couple gets twice the individual amount.
What the source saysThe SSA table lists $1,544 for an eligible couple in 2027 against $1,029 for an individual, less than two individual payments. [1]
-
Often assumedSSI amounts were always adjusted in January.
What the source saysThe SSA table begins with July 1975 and says the 1976 to 1983 amounts became effective for July of the stated year. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the SSI payment amount for 2027?
$1,029 a month for an eligible individual and $1,544 for an eligible couple, after a 3.6 percent COLA.
What was the SSI amount in 2026?
$994 for an individual and $1,491 for a couple.
When did SSI start and what did it pay?
The SSA table begins with July 1975 at $157.70 for an individual and $236.60 for a couple.
Which years had no SSI increase?
2010, 2011 and 2016, when the COLA was 0.0 percent, so the amounts repeated the previous year.
When does a new SSI amount take effect?
In January for 1984 and later; in July for 1976 to 1983.
Why does the couple rate not double the individual rate?
The SSA sets the couple rate separately; in 2027 it is $1,544 against $2,058 for two individuals.
Where was this table read?
From the Internet Archive’s October 26, 2026 capture of the SSA page, because ssa.gov blocked our reader.
Not legal or financial advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal, financial or benefits advice, and it is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration. The SSA decides eligibility and the amount paid. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. It runs in your browser.