2026 PREMIUMS · BASED ON 2024 MAGI

Will You Pay Extra for Medicare
Because of Your Income?

IRMAA surcharges can add thousands per year to your Medicare premiums. See your bracket, your cost, and what happens if your income goes just $1 over the next threshold.

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Your 2024 Income

IRMAA uses your MAGI from 2 years ago. 2026 premiums are based on your 2024 tax return. Leave blank or zero for items that don't apply.

Filing Status

2024 Income Sources (MAGI)

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Important: IRMAA is based on your MAGI from 2 years ago. 2026 premiums use your 2024 tax return. A Roth conversion in 2024 counts toward MAGI even though Roth withdrawals later don't. This is one of the most common planning blind spots.

What you're looking at, in plain English

That number is your annual Medicare surcharge (IRMAA) — the extra the government tacks onto your Part B and Part D premiums because your income is too high.

What IRMAA actually is

Everyone on Medicare pays a base premium (~$185/month in 2026). IRMAA stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount — a sneaky extra premium added when your income exceeds a tier. The bigger the income, the bigger the surcharge, up to ~$574/month per person at the top tier (over $13,000/year for a couple).

The 2-year lookback trap

IRMAA looks at your tax return from two years ago to decide this year's premium. So a one-time event in 2024 — a Roth conversion, a big capital gain, a home sale — can spike your 2026 Medicare bill. People often don't realize until the surcharge letter arrives.

2026 tiers (married filing jointly)

  • Under $212k MAGI → no surcharge
  • $212k–$266k → +$95/mo each (you and your spouse)
  • $266k–$334k → +$238/mo each
  • $334k–$400k → +$382/mo each
  • $400k–$750k → +$526/mo each
  • Over $750k → +$574/mo each

(Single filers have half-size brackets — same trap, smaller numbers.)

How to fight back

  • SSA-44 appeal — if you had a "life-changing event" (retirement, divorce, spouse's death, work stoppage), file Form SSA-44 to ask the SSA to use your current income instead of the lookback. Works for most retirees their first year on Medicare.
  • Watch the cliffs — going $1 over a tier costs you the entire tier's surcharge for both spouses for the whole year. The cliffs are brutal.
  • Time big income events — Roth conversions, capital gains, IRA withdrawals — to stay just under the tier you can afford.
IRMAA is recalculated every year using your latest tax return — so it can disappear as fast as it appeared.

Your 2026 Medicare Premiums

Updates live as you type. Based on projected 2026 IRMAA brackets.

Total Annual Medicare Cost
$2,220
Standard premium — no IRMAA surcharge
Your 2024 MAGI$0
IRMAA bracketStandard
Part B monthly premium$202.90
Part D monthly surcharge$0.00
Total monthly cost$202.90
Annual Medicare cost$2,220

The IRMAA Cliff: What $1 Over Costs You

Current bracket$2,220/yr
If $1 over next threshold$3,272/yr
Extra cost from crossing: $1,052/yr

All 2026 IRMAA Brackets

MAGI RangePart B/moPart D+Annual
Enter your income to see your IRMAA bracket and premium costs.
Historical · Projected

Where Part B Premiums Have Been — And Where the Trend Says They're Going

Standard Part B has grown 5.8% per year on average since 2020 (CMS published rates). At that pace, here's the projection through 2035 for the standard tier and the top IRMAA tier — the gap is the cost of NOT planning for income brackets.

Standard premium (no IRMAA)
Tier 5 (high income) Part B + D
Projected at 5.8%/yr
Year Standard Part B YoY % Tier 5 (Part B + D) Annual Tier 5

Sources: CMS annual Medicare Part B premium announcements (Nov 2019 – Sept 2025). Projection assumes the 2020–2026 compound annual growth rate of 5.8% continues. Actual future premiums depend on Medicare trust fund spending and Congressional action and may differ. Educational illustration only.

Get a Copy of Your Medicare Premium Report

Enter your info below and we'll email you a personalized copy of your 2026 Medicare premium report — your IRMAA bracket, annual cost, and where the cliff is. Hans Goldstein will also include 1-2 income-planning moves that could keep you in a lower bracket. Free. No pitch.

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What Happens Next

Hans will personally review your MAGI breakdown and email you within 24 hours with 1-2 educational notes on the math behind or avoid IRMAA surcharges. This is free educational math help from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — not a financial advisor relationship, not a recommendation, not a sales call.

Understanding Medicare IRMAA

What is IRMAA?
IRMAA stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It's a surcharge added to your standard Medicare Part B and Part D premiums if your income exceeds certain thresholds. It's based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) from two years prior.
Why does a $1 increase in income cost so much more?
IRMAA brackets are "cliffs," not gradual. If your MAGI is $212,000 (MFJ), you pay the standard premium. At $212,001, you jump to the next bracket and pay $888 more per year in Part B alone. This makes income planning around these thresholds extremely valuable.
Do Roth conversions affect IRMAA?
Yes. Roth conversions count as income in the year of conversion and will be included in your MAGI. A large Roth conversion in 2024 could push you into a higher IRMAA bracket for 2026. Strategic multi-year conversion planning can help avoid this.
Can I appeal an IRMAA surcharge?
Yes, if you've had a life-changing event (marriage, divorce, death of spouse, work stoppage, loss of pension, etc.) you can file Form SSA-44 to request a reduction. This uses your current year income instead of the 2-year lookback.
Are these the official 2026 brackets?
These are projected 2026 brackets based on ~3% CPI inflation adjustment from 2025 thresholds. Official 2026 numbers will be published by CMS in late 2025. Actual brackets may vary slightly. Use these for planning purposes.