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COLA calculator

COLA calculator for FERS and CSRS annuities

The COLA calculator shows how a cost-of-living adjustment changes a federal annuity. CSRS annuities get the full CPI-W increase. FERS annuities follow the diet-COLA rule, which pays less when inflation is above 2 percent, and most regular FERS retirees get no COLA until 62.

The calculator

What the calculator shows

  • Your annuity after a COLA, monthly and yearly.
  • The FERS and CSRS rate side by side for the same inflation figure.
  • An age-62 check for regular FERS retirees.
  • First-year proration, if you retired during the year.
  • Past COLAs applied to your annuity, from our dated history, if you choose a past year.

Your inputs

Prefilled with an example so the result is never empty. Change any number; the result updates as you type.

Educational estimate on the assumptions you entered

$31,899

a year after 3 COLAs actually paid

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Increase
$1,899
January 2026
2%
January 2025
2%
January 2024
2.2%

Assumptions behind this estimate

  • The COLA figure is a published past figure or one you type; no future COLA is predicted.
  • Gross annuity only. Deductions are not modeled.
  • The FERS supplement is excluded. It does not get COLAs.

Educational estimate on the assumptions you entered, not a projection or a promise and not OPM's official computation. FFEBA is an education organization, not a financial advisor, and does not give personalized financial, tax or legal advice.

Inputs you will enter

  • Current annuityMonthly, gross.
  • Retirement system and typeCSRS, FERS regular, FERS special provisions, FERS disability or survivor.
  • AgeFor the FERS age-62 rule.
  • Retirement monthFor first-year proration.
  • COLA percentagePick a past year from the history, or type a CPI-W figure to see how each system would treat it.

How we compute it

For CSRS, we apply the CPI-W figure in full. For FERS, we apply the diet-COLA rule in 5 U.S.C. 8462: at 2 percent or less, the full figure; between 2 and 3 percent, 2 percent; above 3 percent, the figure minus 1 point (OPM and SSA, retrieved 2026-07-05). If you are a regular FERS retiree under 62, the COLA is zero. If you retired during the year, we prorate the first COLA by your months on the rolls.

A worked example

A FERS annuity of $3,000 a month, retiree age 63, with the January 2026 COLA of 2.0 percent becomes $3,060. A CSRS annuity of $3,000 with the 2.8 percent CSRS COLA becomes $3,084 (OPM, retrieved 2026-07-05). Educational estimate on the assumptions shown.

2.8%CSRS COLA paid January 2026OPM, retrieved 2026-07-05
2.0%FERS COLA paid January 2026OPM, retrieved 2026-07-05

What to do with your result

See every COLA since 1969 on the COLA history page, and read the rules in the COLA guide. Your starting annuity can come from the FERS pension estimator.

Wondering how years without a COLA before 62 affect your plan?

FFEBA is an education organization. If you want someone to look at your own numbers, we can match you with a Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC), a professional trained on federal benefits. The FRC designation is listed with FINRA. The first review is free, nothing is booked until you choose a time, and you are never obligated to work with anyone we introduce. Get matched with an FRC.

Questions about this calculator

How is the FERS COLA figured?

Under 5 U.S.C. 8462, if the CPI-W increase is 2 percent or less, FERS matches it. If it is between 2 and 3 percent, FERS gets 2 percent. If it is over 3 percent, FERS gets the CPI-W figure minus 1 point. CSRS gets the full figure.

What was the federal retiree COLA for 2026?

The COLA first paid in January 2026 was 2.8 percent for CSRS annuitants and 2.0 percent for FERS annuitants (OPM, retrieved 2026-07-05). The FERS figure was capped by the diet-COLA rule.

When will the 2027 COLA be announced?

The COLA is set from the third-quarter CPI-W and is usually announced in October, first paid in January. We add the 2027 figure to this tool and our COLA history the day it is published.

Do FERS retirees under 62 get a COLA?

Generally no. Regular FERS retirees receive no COLA until 62. Disability retirees, survivor annuitants and special provision retirees are exceptions (OPM, retrieved 2026-07-05).

Why is my first COLA smaller?

If you retired less than a full year before the COLA takes effect, OPM prorates it by the number of months you were on the annuity rolls.

Reviewed by the FFEBA education team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Sources

  1. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, cost-of-living adjustments, retrieved 2026-07-05
  2. Social Security Administration, COLA series (CPI-W), retrieved 2026-07-05

Every government figure on this page carries its source and retrieval date. Worked examples are educational estimates on the assumptions shown, not a projection of any person's benefit. FFEBA is an education organization, not a financial advisor.

Keep reading

Read the rule behind the math.