QCD vs. Charitable Deduction: Which Helps IRMAA More?
A Qualified Charitable Distribution can still be more powerful than writing a check to charity in 2026, but the reason changed. Starting in 2026, non-itemizers can deduct up…
Health Insurance & Medicare Archive
Previous guides on health plans, HSAs, Medicare enrollment, IRMAA, appeals and annual coverage reviews.
QCDs and IRMAA: How Charitable Distributions Can Lower MAGI
For retirees who are charitably inclined, there is no single greater tool for tax and Medicare premium savings than the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Yet, it remains one…
7 IRMAA Mistakes Even the Best CPAs Can Make
Let me start with this: I have immense respect for Certified Public Accountants. A great CPA is a master of the tax code, a historian of your financial…
Federal Retiree IRMAA: How TSP and FEHB Decisions Connect
For a federal retiree, IRMAA is usually a timing problem before it is a Medicare problem. Social Security generally uses tax information from two years earlier to determine…
IRMAA After Divorce or Death of a Spouse: 2026 Appeal Guide
If your Medicare IRMAA stayed high after a divorce or the death of your spouse, you may be able to ask Social Security to use more recent income…
IRMAA Married Filing Separately: 2026 Rules & Living Apart Exception
Married filing separately can make IRMAA dramatically more expensive—but there is an important exception. If you filed a separate return and lived with your spouse at any time…
IRMAA One Time Income Spike? Here’s How It Triggers IRMAA in 2026 (+ 7 Timing Strategies)
The couple sat across from me, retirement just two years away, staring at a projected $5,451 tax bomb they never saw coming. They had just sold their family…
IRMAA Life Changing Event Tool: Is SSA-44 the Right Route?
An IRMAA life-changing event is not simply “my income went down.” Social Security uses a specific list of eight events for the SSA-44 life-changing-event route. Even when your…
Medicare Part B Premium 2026: Costs and IRMAA
A Medicare Part B premium can look like a simple monthly bill until income enters the picture. In 2026, the standard premium is $202.90 per month, but higher-income…
2026 IRMAA Calculator: Medicare Part B & D Surcharge
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…