Use this IRMAA calculator to see the staircase: enter your filing status and MAGI, then move the income slider to see the published 2026 surcharge and the next threshold. Try an added Roth conversion or taxable gain to see what crossing a step would mean. The year picker separates a real 2026 estimate from later-year planning.
The big catch is timing. Your 2026 IRMAA is generally based on income from 2024. So the financial move that creates the surcharge and the Medicare bill that reminds you about it can be separated by two years. That delay is what makes IRMAA planning feel sneakier than it really is.
For 2026, the standard Part B premium is $202.90 per month. IRMAA starts above $109,000 of 2024 MAGI for individual filers and above $218,000 for married couples filing jointly. Part D IRMAA is added on top of your actual drug-plan premium. See the Part D IRMAA guide for the drug surcharge. Medicare’s 2027 handbook also gives the next starting lines, above $111,000 individual and $222,000 joint, but the full 2027 dollar schedule is separate.
Show summary
- 2026 actual table: 2024 MAGI drives the published 2026 estimate. Drag the slider or type an exact income amount to see the annual surcharge and room to the next step.
- Try a change: Use the what-if buttons or enter additional MAGI to see whether the modeled 2026 step changes. Add taxable gains, not gross sale proceeds.
- 2027 known line: 2025 MAGI generally feeds 2027 IRMAA. Its published starting lines are above $111,000 individual and $222,000 joint, while full dollar amounts are not calculated here.
- Future limit: For 2027 and 2028, the staircase is labeled as a 2026 illustration rather than an official future premium forecast.
- Appeals: After a qualifying life-changing event that reduced income, SSA-44 may support a new IRMAA determination.
On This Page
- Where do you land on the Medicare staircase?
- Key Takeaways Ahead
- How to Use the IRMAA Calculator
- What Income Does Medicare Use for IRMAA?
- Test a What-If Without Mistaking It for a Future Quote
- How to Read the Staircase and the Yearly Cost
- What If Your Income Dropped? IRMAA and Form SSA-44
- IRMAA Calculator FAQs
- The Decision the Calculator Is Supposed to Help With
- Choose Your Next IRMAA Step
- How We Verified This
Where do you land on the Medicare staircase?
Medicare charges higher-income retirees extra, in steps. Slide your income and watch where you land, what it costs, and how much room you have before the next step.
Published 2026 premiums and thresholds. Enter 2024 MAGI for a 2026 estimate.
If spouses have different Medicare or drug coverage, run each person separately. This tool excludes plan premiums, late penalties, and other Medicare costs.
Staircase shows published 2026 rates. On a phone, swipe sideways to see every step. Select a step or use the slider to explore.
Try a what-if
Thinking about a Roth conversion, selling stock, or a big IRA withdrawal? Add it here.
Questions people ask
Why does it use income from two years ago?
Social Security uses the newest tax return the IRS gives them, usually from two years back. Your 2026 premiums are based on 2024 income. So a Roth conversion you do this year shows up in your premiums two years from now.
Does one dollar over the line really cost the full step?
Under the published 2026 table, crossing a threshold changes the monthly surcharge for the months it applies. The year figure assumes all 12 months at the same tier; a later determination or change can alter your actual bill.
We're married. Do we both pay?
Each spouse on Medicare pays their own surcharge, based on your joint income. Two people on Medicare means double the extra cost.
My income dropped. Can I get this lowered?
If it dropped because of a life-changing event like retirement, reduced work hours, death of a spouse, divorce, or loss of a pension, you can ask Social Security to use newer income with Form SSA-44. A Roth conversion or selling investments doesn't count as a life-changing event.
What about 2027 and 2028 numbers?
Medicare & You 2027 gives the starting 2027 thresholds: above $111,000 individual or $222,000 joint. The full 2027 surcharge dollar schedule has not been supplied here. For 2025 or 2026 income, the staircase is explicitly a 2026 illustration, not a future premium quote.
Figures: 2026 Medicare premiums and IRMAA thresholds from CMS and Social Security, reviewed September 26, 2026. The 2027 Medicare handbook supplies the 2027 starting thresholds. Your entries stay in your browser. Educational estimate, not an SSA decision or tax advice.
Key Takeaways Ahead
How to Use the IRMAA Calculator
Start with the 2024 income / 2026 premiums setting. Select the filing status from that return and enter your IRMAA MAGI. The answer updates as you type or move the slider. There is no Calculate button.
- Check the coverage toggles. A joint return can involve one or two people on Medicare. The yearly extra doubles only when you select both. Turn off Part D if the modeled beneficiary has no drug coverage.
- Read the large result. It is the combined Part B and, when selected, Part D income-related surcharge for 12 months, not the total cost of Medicare.
- Explore the next step. The gold marker and room-left box show the 2026 threshold. Type exact dollars and cents when the boundary matters.
Actual Part D plan premiums, late-enrollment penalties and other out-of-pocket costs are outside this calculator. If spouses have different coverage, run each person’s situation separately instead of using the two-person shortcut.
What Income Does Medicare Use for IRMAA?
For 2026, Social Security generally uses your 2024 modified adjusted gross income. In plain English, IRMAA MAGI is generally your federal adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest. That is why municipal-bond interest can matter even though it may be exempt from federal income tax.
If you are not sure whether a Roth conversion, IRA withdrawal, stock sale, Social Security benefit, municipal-bond interest, or another item belongs in your MAGI, use my IRMAA Income Checker first. The calculator is only as good as the MAGI number you feed it.
The number I would check before obsessing over the Medicare premium is the income number Medicare is actually looking at. A perfectly coded calculator with the wrong MAGI is still the wrong answer — just with prettier decimals.
For the current published thresholds and premium amounts, see the CMS 2026 Medicare premium and IRMAA fact sheet. Social Security also publishes the 2026 Medicare premium tables and IRMAA guidance.
Test a What-If Without Mistaking It for a Future Quote
Suppose you expect a Roth conversion or taxable stock gain. Enter the MAGI you expect before that move. Select an added amount or type it yourself. The second marker shows where the extra income lands on the published 2026 staircase.
For a stock sale, add the taxable gain, not the entire sale proceeds. A qualified charitable distribution can keep an otherwise taxable IRA distribution out of MAGI; it is not a general negative-income button in this tool. Check the MAGI inputs in the IRMAA Income Checker first if the income treatment is uncertain.
2025 income generally sets 2027 IRMAA. Medicare has published the 2027 starting lines of above $111,000 individual and $222,000 joint. The full 2027 dollar schedule is not calculated by this tool. 2026 income generally sets 2028 IRMAA, whose thresholds and premiums are still unknown. For those income years, the colored staircase is explicitly a 2026 reference.
“Max on this 2026 step” is exact only for the published 2026 table. It is not a safe Roth conversion allowance for 2027 or 2028. If a conversion is the real decision, use the Roth conversion sizing guide to weigh Medicare alongside income tax and future RMDs.
How to Read the Staircase and the Yearly Cost
IRMAA rises by steps, not a smooth percentage of income. In the published 2026 table, crossing a line changes the monthly surcharge for the months that determination applies. The tool multiplies that monthly amount by 12 to make the yearly scale easier to see. Your actual bill can differ if the determination changes during the year.
- Big yearly number: modeled 2026 Part B IRMAA plus Part D IRMAA when the Part D toggle is on; doubled only when both spouses are modeled.
- Part B card: the full published 2026 Part B monthly premium per person, including any Part B IRMAA.
- Part D card: the published 2026 monthly Part D IRMAA per person, on top of an actual drug-plan premium; it does not show that plan premium.
- Room left: the distance to the next boundary in the published 2026 table. The $500,000 individual, $750,000 joint and $391,000 separate-filer top steps begin at those amounts.
For 2027, the calculator uses the official starting line to screen 2025 MAGI but does not quote an annual surcharge. For 2028, it offers no official threshold. The staircase remains a labeled 2026 illustration in both cases.
What If Your Income Dropped? IRMAA and Form SSA-44
A calculator can correctly show a surcharge from the tax return SSA used and still not tell the whole story. If your income later fell because of a qualifying life-changing event, Social Security may allow you to request a new IRMAA determination using Form SSA-44.
Examples of qualifying events can include marriage, divorce or annulment, death of a spouse, work stoppage, work reduction, loss of income-producing property in qualifying circumstances, loss of pension income, and certain employer settlement payments. The facts matter, so do not treat “my income went down” as automatic appeal eligibility.
My IRMAA appeal and SSA-44 guide walks through that process separately. That keeps this page focused on the calculator job instead of turning it into a second appeal guide.
IRMAA Calculator FAQs
What is the 2026 IRMAA income threshold?
For 2026, IRMAA begins when 2024 MAGI is above $109,000 for individual filers or above $218,000 for married couples filing jointly. Married filing separately can use a different compressed table when you lived with your spouse during the tax year.
Does IRMAA use gross income or AGI?
Neither by itself. For Medicare IRMAA, MAGI is generally adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest. That is why the number can differ from the income figure you use casually when talking about spending or cash flow.
Does a Roth conversion count toward IRMAA?
The taxable amount of a Roth conversion generally increases AGI and therefore can increase IRMAA MAGI. The Medicare effect usually shows up two years after the income year, subject to the tax return SSA actually uses.
Can a capital gain trigger IRMAA?
Yes. A taxable net capital gain can increase AGI and push MAGI into a higher IRMAA band. Use the taxable gain, not the property’s sale price, when modeling the effect.
Does a QCD lower IRMAA?
A properly executed qualified charitable distribution can keep the qualifying IRA distribution out of gross income. When preparing the baseline MAGI, exclude a qualifying QCD from an IRA distribution that otherwise would have been taxable. This calculator has no separate QCD field and does not compute eligibility or tax treatment.
Can I use this calculator for 2027 or 2028?
For 2027, the published starting lines are above $111,000 individual and $222,000 joint; the tool screens those two filing statuses using 2025 MAGI. It does not calculate official 2027 surcharge dollars or the married-filing-separately schedule. For 2028, no official thresholds or amounts are modeled. The staircase in those modes is a labeled 2026 comparison.
The Decision the Calculator Is Supposed to Help With
IRMAA is not a reason to automatically avoid income, a Roth conversion, a capital gain, or any other financial move. Sometimes paying more Medicare premium can still be part of the better long-term decision. The calculator’s job is narrower and more useful: show you when Medicare becomes another cost that belongs in the comparison.
If your what-if scenario crosses a threshold, that is your cue to compare the tax benefit, investment or estate-planning benefit, and Medicare cost together — not to let one surcharge make the decision by itself.
How We Verified This
The 2026 staircase and 2027 starting lines were checked against federal sources on September 26, 2026.
