Most people pay the standard Medicare premium. But above certain income thresholds, an extra charge called IRMAA gets added to your Part B and Part D. Here's a plain way to see whether it applies to you — and what to do if it does.
Most people don't pay IRMAA at all. It's the income-related monthly adjustment amount — a surcharge added to your Part B and Part D premiums only when your income crosses set thresholds. The catch most people don't know: it's based on the income from your tax return two years ago — so a recent retiree can be charged on a higher working-year income. This shows you where you stand, and the appeal path if your income has dropped.
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Whether to appeal, time a Roth conversion, or plan around the thresholds depends on your full picture — that's a conversation, not a calculation.
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How is IRMAA calculated?
It's based on your modified adjusted gross income from your tax return two years prior, compared against income thresholds set each year. If you're above a threshold, a fixed surcharge is added to both your Part B and Part D premiums; below it, you pay the standard amount.
Why am I being charged IRMAA when my income is lower now?
Because IRMAA looks two years back. A recent retiree can be charged on a higher working-year income. If a life-changing event lowered your income, you can ask Social Security to use more recent figures with form SSA-44.
Does The Clearing see my income when I use this?
No. The calculation runs entirely on your own device — nothing you enter is sent, logged, or stored. The only thing we'd ever receive is your email, and only if you ask us to send a copy.
Built from the IRMAA spec (no prototype), to the v2 Visual & Hierarchy Standard. Two constraints define it: privacy (client-side only) and calm-not-fear.
ANNUAL: the income thresholds by filing status, and the Part B + Part D surcharge amounts by tier. These are 2026 best-estimates and MUST be confirmed — they change every year. This is the heaviest annual-maintenance figure set in the suite alongside the Out-of-Pocket Estimator (October pass).ANNUAL.yearLabel (2026) uses ANNUAL.incomeYear (2024) MAGI. Update both together each year.brackets.separate.#fernLink = /fern; confirm the canonical member-page URL.// STUB: POST email + the result tier (never the income), tag to the lead-gen track.tool_irmaa_ events — result_viewed (tier + applies, NOT income), appeal_viewed, consult_fern_clicked, keep_copy_submitted.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-44.pdf — confirm it still resolves at launch.