All eyes are on the 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), with the official announcement now just weeks away, but that's only one of several changes the program will experience next year. You'll get a benefit increaseAll Social Security beneficiaries will receive a COLA in 2027, though we don't yet know what it will be. You'll have to work harder to earn retirement creditsEach year, the Social Security Administration updates the income required to earn a credit. You need 40 of these to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits once you turn 62, and you can earn up to four credits per year. For most people, that means they owe Social Security taxes on every dollar they earn, though that's not true for wealthy Americans.