Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: Louisiana LASERS does not pay an automatic COLA, and no 2027 increase is set yet. The latest increase is the 2% COLA granted by Act 280 (HB 23) of 2026, which LASERS’s bill update gives as applying to the first $81,201 of annual benefit and begins with the July 1, 2026 payment. A new COLA needs sufficient funds in the COLA account to cover the full actuarial cost, a LASERS Board request and a two-thirds vote of both houses, so there is no 2027 effective month until one passes.
Estimate a Louisiana LASERS Regular member allowance from service, age and average compensation: Louisiana LASERS Regular retirement calculator.
How a LASERS COLA is granted
The LASERS COLA page says: “COLAs are not automatic or guaranteed.” “Even with this funding mechanism, a COLA is not guaranteed in any given year.” On approval, it says: “The LASERS Board of Trustees must request the COLA, and the Legislature must approve it by a two-thirds vote of both houses.”
On the size of a future COLA, the page says: “Under the new funding mechanism, a COLA may be up to 2% of the first $60,000 of your annual benefit.” It adds that the Legislature may authorize an increase greater than 2%, subject to the Governor’s approval.
Who is eligible and who is left out
For a COLA under the newer funding mechanism, LASERS lists a regular retiree as “Age 62 and retired for at least two years”. and a disability retiree as “Retired for at least two years, regardless of age”. LASERS notes that these requirements differ from those that applied to previous COLAs.
The 2026 COLA used different terms. LASERS’s bill update says retirees must “Have been receiving a benefit for at least one year prior to July 1, 2026”. and “Be age 60 or older by July 1, 2026”. while disability retirees and survivors have no age requirement.
The latest increase: 2026
The LASERS bill update describes the 2026 COLA: “Proposed COLA: 2% (applies to the first $81,201 of your annual benefit )”. On timing, it says “eligible retirees and beneficiaries will see the 2% increase beginning with their July 1, 2026, benefit payment.” The LASERS legislation archive lists the enacted measure: “Act 280 (HB 23) Grants a cost-of-living adjustment to eligible LASERS retirees and beneficiaries.” The 2026 session page records: “COLA Bill Signed into Law May 29, 2026”.
One gap to know about: the bill update words the 2% as proposed and conditional on approval, and the enacted text of Act 280 is not among the sources read, so this page states 2% as the figure LASERS announced, not as a confirmed paid percentage.
Where 2027 stands
The 2027 LASERS COLA is not set yet: it needs sufficient funds in the COLA account to cover the full actuarial cost, a Board request and a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature, and this page updates when LASERS publishes a 2027 COLA.
The LASERS archive and COLA page list no 2027 COLA. The bill as introduced said: “Proposed law provides that funds for the COLA will come from LASERS’s experience account.” The enacted text of Act 280 was not read. The bill update explains that “The Experience Account is being phased out”. and that “Employers will directly fund COLAs as part of the annual contribution rate”. Even so, “while still requiring legislative approval”.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a COLA every year. LASERS says COLAs are not automatic or guaranteed, even with the new employer funding.
- Assuming the 2026 eligibility terms carry over. The age and years-retired requirements for the 2026 COLA differ from those under the newer funding mechanism.
- Applying 2% to the whole benefit. The 2026 COLA applies only to the first $81,201 of the annual benefit.
Related: Louisiana LASERS retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether Louisiana taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- LASERS, Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs): lasersonline.org
- LASERS, HB 23 (COLA Bill) Update: lasersonline.org
- LASERS, Retirement Legislation Archives: lasersonline.org
- LASERS, 2026 Louisiana Legislative Session: lasersonline.org
- Louisiana Legislature, HB 23 Original, 2026 Regular Session (introduced text, not final): www.legis.la.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 410, Pensions and annuities: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 411, Pensions: the General Rule and the Simplified Method: www.irs.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.