IRMAA in 2026: Higher Medicare Premiums and How to Ask for a Reduction

Temecula and Murrieta have plenty of households with solid incomes, and many of them are surprised when their first Medicare premium notice is higher than the standard amount. That extra charge is called IRMAA, the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It’s worth understanding before you retire, because a little planning and a timely request to Social Security can sometimes make a difference.

What IRMAA is

IRMAA is an extra amount added to your Part B and Part D premiums if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is above certain thresholds. Social Security decides whether you owe it, using the income on your federal tax return from two years earlier. For 2026 premiums, that generally means your 2024 return (Medicare.gov: 2026 Medicare Costs; SSA: Medicare premiums).

That two-year lag catches a lot of people in our area. If you were working full time two years ago, or sold a property or took a large retirement distribution, Social Security may be looking at income you no longer have.

The 2026 Part B IRMAA brackets

Here are the official 2026 monthly Part B premiums by income, based on 2024 tax returns (2026 Medicare Costs booklet; CMS fact sheet):

• Individual $109,000 or less / joint $218,000 or less: $202.90 (standard premium)
• Individual above $109,000 up to $137,000 / joint above $218,000 up to $274,000: $284.10
• Individual above $137,000 up to $171,000 / joint above $274,000 up to $342,000: $405.80
• Individual above $171,000 up to $205,000 / joint above $342,000 up to $410,000: $527.50
• Individual above $205,000 and less than $500,000 / joint above $410,000 and less than $750,000: $649.20
• Individual $500,000 or above / joint $750,000 or above: $689.90

Married people filing separately have different brackets, which are listed in the Medicare Costs booklet. Part D has its own income-related amounts, added on top of your drug plan premium (including drug coverage inside a Medicare Advantage plan). Social Security tells you in writing if you owe it. The 2027 IRMAA amounts usually come out in the fall, and they hadn’t been published when this was written.

How Social Security notifies you

If you owe IRMAA, Social Security sends a notice explaining the amount and the tax information it used. HHS notes that IRMAA determinations apply for one year at a time, and that Social Security notifies beneficiaries near the end of the year if they’ll owe IRMAA for the coming year (HHS: Part B premium appeals). So your IRMAA can go away on its own once your income drops on a later tax return.

Life-changing events: asking for a new decision

If your income went down because of certain life-changing events, you can ask Social Security to use a more recent year’s income instead. According to HHS and Social Security, the qualifying events are (HHS; SSA):

• Marriage
• Divorce or annulment
• Death of a spouse
• Work stoppage (for example, retirement)
• Work reduction
• Loss of income from income-producing property
• Loss or reduction of certain kinds of pension income
• An employer settlement payment

You make this request with Form SSA-44, “Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount – Life-Changing Event,” online through your my Social Security account or by mail or fax to a Social Security office, along with evidence like a letter from your employer confirming your retirement date (SSA: Request to lower IRMAA; Form SSA-44). Social Security points out that this is a request for a new decision, not a formal appeal.

Not every drop in income qualifies. HHS notes that events that only reduce dividend income or raise your expenses, without reducing your MAGI in a qualifying way, don’t count as life-changing events.

If the information is wrong: appeals

If you think Social Security used incorrect information, for example an amended return or an IRS error, you can request reconsideration. SSA describes filing an appeal online or with Form SSA-561-U2, Request for Reconsideration (SSA: Medicare premiums).

Planning around IRMAA

I’m not a tax advisor, and IRMAA planning should involve your CPA or financial planner. Still, these are the questions I encourage my clients to bring to them:

• Will a one-time event, like selling a rental, a Roth conversion or a large IRA withdrawal, push me into a higher bracket two years from now?
• Does my retirement date qualify as a work stoppage, and do I have the employer letter to prove it?
• Do the timing of required minimum distributions and Social Security benefits matter for my income?

How IRMAA fits into choosing coverage

IRMAA applies whether you choose Original Medicare with Medigap and Part D or a Medicare Advantage plan. It’s added to your Part B premium either way, and to the Part D portion of your coverage. When I compare plans for a client who pays IRMAA, I include those amounts so we’re looking at the real monthly cost.

If you’re still working, read Working Past 65: Medicare and Employer Coverage, since retirement is the life-changing event that most often applies. If you’re just starting out, see Turning 65 in Temecula or Murrieta: Your Medicare Checklist, and for the full 2026 picture, including the Part D cap, see Medicare 2026 in Temecula & Murrieta.

Want me to factor IRMAA into a plan comparison for you? Call 760-297-0366 or request a free Medicare review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about your own situation? Call me at 760-297-0366 or request a free Medicare review. I’m Cesar Ramirez with Temeku Insurance, CA License #0M47591, serving Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Sun City, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Hemet and Fallbrook.