Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: The 2026 MOSERS cost-of-living adjustment is 2.152% for the plan groups MOSERS lists in its 2026 announcement, announced January 13, 2026. The 2027 COLA is not set yet: Missouri law has it determined in January, so MOSERS publishes it in January 2027. The formula is 80% of the increase in the consumer price index, never below 0% and never above 5%.
More on public pension retirement ages and eligibility: the Missouri MOSERS retirement age and eligibility rules for MSEP 2011.
Estimate a MOSERS MSEP 2011 annuity from service, age and final average pay: MOSERS MSEP 2011 retirement calculator.
How the MOSERS COLA is set
Missouri Revised Statutes section 104.1045 says: “The COLA shall be made annually beginning twelve months after the annuity starting date and shall be equal to eighty percent of the increase in the consumer price index, but not more than five percent”. It adds: “an increase in the consumer price index shall be determined in January of each year”. MOSERS states the range in plain terms: “A COLA can range from a minimum of 0% to a maximum of 5%.”
One group follows a different rule. “If you were employed before August 28, 1997 , and retired under MSEP , you have a COLA cap. In this situation, you will get a COLA of at least 4% each year (maximum 5%) until you reach your COLA cap.”
The 2026 COLA
MOSERS announced: “The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026 is 2.152%.” “Each January, our actuary compares the average CPI for the calendar year just completed (2025) to the average CPI from the prior year (2024) to determine the percentage change between the two years.” The COLA memo says: “The COLA rate of 2.152% will be effective for those members who have reached their original 65% cap under MSEP, or who were first hired on or after August 28, 1997”.
On timing, MOSERS says: “In general, it will be on the anniversary date of your retirement”, with listed exceptions.
Where 2027 stands
The 2027 MOSERS COLA is not set: the statute has it determined in January, so the figure comes in January 2027 from the 2026 average CPI-U, and this page updates when MOSERS publishes it. Before then, the 2026 COLA of 2.152% is the latest figure.
A worked example
As a computed illustration (not a source figure), a retiree with a monthly benefit of $2,000 (invented, for the computation) whose COLA is the 2026 rate of 2.152% would see an increase of $43.04 (computed) a month. A retiree under the pre-1997 rule above would instead get at least 4% until reaching the COLA cap.
What this page does not cover
MOSERS’s 2026 announcement lists who the 2.152% applies to: “This COLA applies to: MSEP and Judicial Plan retirees who have reached their COLA cap. MSEP and Judicial Plan retirees first employed on or after August 28, 1997. Retired general state employees who are members of MSEP 2000. Retired general state employees who are members of MSEP 2011 and retired directly from active service. Judicial Plan 2011 retirees.”
The CPI formula above applies to the MOSERS plans named on its COLA page. Timing and caps differ for some groups, so check the MOSERS COLA page for your own plan before you rely on a figure.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the COLA equals the full CPI-U increase. The statute pays 80% of it.
- Expecting a 2027 figure before January 2027, when the calendar year 2026 average is complete.
- Applying 2.152% to a retiree under the pre-1997 rule, who gets at least 4% until reaching the cap.
Related: Missouri MOSERS retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether Missouri taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- Missouri Revisor of Statutes, RSMo 104.1045 Cost-of-living adjustment, amount: revisor.mo.gov
- MOSERS, Cost-of-Living Adjustments: mosers.org
- MOSERS, The 2026 COLA: mosers.org
- Cavanaugh Macdonald Consulting for MOSERS, Retiree Cost of Living Adjustment for 2026 (actuary letter): mosers.org
- Related official page (not quoted): Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 104, state employees’ retirement: revisor.mo.gov
Read from the primary documents linked above on October 30, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.