Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: Kansas KPERS has no automatic COLA apart from the narrow exceptions below (the KPERS 3 self-funded COLA is paid for by the member): any other increase is an ad hoc act of the Kansas Legislature, and the Legislature’s research staff says a COLA has not been approved since 2008. No 2027 increase is set yet, so there is no effective month. Bills proposed in 2025 would have granted one, and KPERS’s April 2025 update says SB 64 was the only bill passed that made adjustments to KPERS statutes in that regular session.
More on public pension retirement ages and eligibility: the Kansas KPERS retirement age and eligibility rules by tier.
Who can grant a KPERS COLA
The Kansas Legislative Research Department briefing book says: “ad hoc adjustments require approval of the plan sponsor or a delegating authority. In Kansas, that authority resides within the Legislature.” KPERS’s own 2025 bill summary states: “The KPERS retirement plan does not include a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The Legislature has the authority grant COLAs on an ad hoc basis, but there are no requirements for COLAs to occur.”
The narrow exceptions
The briefing book explains: “KPERS plans have not included a COLA since the system was created, with three exceptions:” “KPERS 2 included an automatic 2.0 percent COLA when it was created in 2007, but the authorizing statute was repealed in 2012;” “KPERS 3 has a self-funded COLA of 1.0 or 2.0 percent, but that benefit is funded by the member through an actuarial reduction to the member’s lifetime benefit;” It also lists a 13th check benefit paid from 1980 to 1987.
The last increase
On the last legislative increase, the briefing book says: “A COLA has not been approved since 2008.” The sources read do not name the bill, the percentage or the month of that 2008 increase.
Where 2027 stands
No 2027 KPERS COLA is set yet and none is scheduled, so there is no effective month: only the Kansas Legislature can grant one by enacting a bill, and this page updates if one is enacted.
At least three COLA bills were proposed in 2025. KPERS’s summary says: “HB 2380 provides a permanent $150 adjustment to the monthly benefits of KPERS retirees who are age 85 on or before July 1, 2025.” The KPERS legislative update lists a second bill as “Providing a COLA to members retired on or before July 1, 2015.” The same update lists House Bill 2298 as “2% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees on or before July 1, 2020”. That update, dated April 8, 2025, says “During the regular session, SB 64 was the only bill passed that made adjustments to KPERS statutes.” It also says “bills on the list below that have not passed will carryover to the 2026 session.” The sources read do not show the outcome of the 2026 session, and the briefing book page, updated June 26, 2026, still says a COLA has not been approved since 2008.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a yearly increase. Apart from the narrow exceptions above, KPERS plans have no automatic adjustment and the Legislature is under no requirement to grant one.
- Treating a bill hearing or a proposal as an approved increase. A COLA exists only if the Legislature enacts it.
- Confusing the KPERS 3 self-funded COLA with a free increase. The briefing book says the member pays for it through an actuarial reduction to the lifetime benefit.
Related: Kansas KPERS retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether Kansas taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- Kansas Legislative Research Department, KPERS – Cost of Living Adjustments (Briefing Book 2024): klrd.gov
- Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, 2025 Legislative Session KPERS Bill Recap, House Bill 2380: www.kspers.gov
- Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, KPERS Legislative Update: www.kspers.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.