Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: The San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association (SamCERA) adjusts benefits each April 1 using the average annual change in CPI for the prior calendar year, and the Board of Retirement sets the COLA. Plan maximums are 5% for General and Safety Plan 1 (3% for Probation Plan 1), 3% for Plan 2 and 2% for Plans 4 through 7; Plan 3 has no COLA. For 2026 the Board approved 2.0% for General and Safety Plan 1 and for Plans 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7, for members who retire on or before April 1, 2026. No 2027 COLA has been approved yet.
How the COLA is set
The Guide to Your SamCERA Benefits says: “Retirement benefits will be adjusted annually, in accordance with the guidelines for your retirement plan, based on changes in the cost-of-living (as determined by the average annual change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the prior calendar year).” Who decides: “The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is set by the Board of Retirement. The COLA is effective April 1, and any adjustments will appear on your April statement advice.”
Maximums by plan
The guide lists each plan’s ceiling. “Plan 1. The Plan 1 annual COLA provides for an increase of up to a maximum of 5% per year.” Its next lines add: “Probation Plan 1 members are only eligible to receive up to a COLA maximum of 3%.” “Plan 2. The Plan 2 annual COLA provides for an increase up to a maximum of 3% per year. There is no COLA bank.” “Plans 4, 5, 6, and 7 annual COLA provides for an increase up to a maximum of 2% per year. There is no COLA bank.” “Plan 3 does not provide for a COLA.”
The 2026 COLA
SamCERA’s announcement says: “At its January 27, 2026 meeting, the Board of Retirement approved a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees and beneficiaries who retire on or before April 1, 2026.” The amounts: “All Plan 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 members who retire on or before 4/1/2026 will receive a 2.0% COLA.” “The COLA for all General and Safety Plan 1 members who retire on or before 4/1/2026 is 2.0%.” Probation Plan 1 differs by retirement date, at 3.0%, 2.5% or 2.0%.
What the documents do not say
The news item does not print the CPI value behind the 2.0% figure, the governing statute section is not cited in the sources read, and no earlier year’s COLA was archived. SamCERA’s own COLA page did not render, so the guide and the news item carry the evidence.
Where 2027 stands
No 2027 SamCERA COLA is set: the Board of Retirement sets the COLA each year, and the sources read show no 2027 action.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the 5% ceiling in every plan. Only General and Safety Plan 1 has it, and Probation Plan 1 is held to 3%.
- Looking for a COLA under Plan 3. The guide says Plan 3 does not provide for one.
- Assuming a late-year retirement earns this year’s COLA. The member must retire on or before April 1.
Related: SamCERA retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether California taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- SamCERA, Guide to Your SamCERA Benefits (Cost-of-Living Adjustment for Retirees): content.samcera.gov
- SamCERA, COLA Increase for 2026: www.samcera.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.