The 2027 Medicare Part B premium is estimated at $209.50 a month, and that’s what most people will pay. But about 1 in 10 people on Part B pay more because of IRMAA, the income surcharge, and for 2027 it’s based on your 2025 tax return. Here are the projected 2027 IRMAA income lines, what each tier pays, the first-year retirement trap, the SSA-44 form that can undo it, and what you can still change before December 31 to protect your 2028 premium.
Free printable 2027 Retiree Money Calendar (every Social Security, Medicare and tax date):
Chapters
0:00 Who pays more than $209.50?
0:50 The 2027 Part B estimate
1:30 IRMAA: the income surcharge
2:24 The 2027 IRMAA income lines (projected)
3:25 What the cliff costs
4:30 The first-year retirement trap + Form SSA-44
5:53 What I’d do: 8 steps for your 2027 and 2028 premiums
8:44 Next
2027 IRMAA table (based on 2025 MAGI; estimates)
• Up to $112,000 single / $224,000 joint: Part B $209.50, no drug-plan surcharge
• To $141,000* / $282,000*: Part B $293.20, drug plan +$15.40
• To $176,000* / $352,000*: Part B $418.90, drug plan +$39.70
• To $211,000* / $422,000*: Part B $544.60, drug plan +$64.00
• Under $500,000 / $750,000: Part B $670.20, drug plan +$88.30
• $500,000+ / $750,000+: Part B $712.10, drug plan +$96.40
*Could be $1,000 higher: October 2025 inflation data was never published. Income lines are our calculation from the statutory inflation formula (it reproduces the official 2026 lines exactly). Premiums are 2026 Medicare Trustees Report estimates. Married filing separately has different lines.
What I’d do
1. Find your 2025 MAGI: Form 1040 line 11a (AGI) + line 2a (tax-exempt interest).
2. Compare it with the lines above and note your tier.
3. Stopped or reduced work, lost pension income, or another qualifying event? Gather proof now (employer letter, retirement letter, pay stubs) and a realistic estimate of this year’s income.
4. When the IRMAA notice arrives, verify the income figure. Send Form SSA-44 if you qualify (each spouse files separately) or ask for a correction if the data is wrong.
5. Your 2026 income normally sets your 2028 premiums: leave a real buffer below the line before December 31.
6. Roth conversion? Leave room for dividends, capital gains and year-end fund distributions.
7. 70½+ and giving to charity? A qualified charitable distribution sent directly by your IRA custodian stays out of your income.
8. Watch one-time spikes (taxable home-sale gains, big sales); municipal bond interest still counts.
Sources
• 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, Tables V.E2 (2027 premium $209.50, deductible $292) and V.E3 (2027 income-related adjustment amounts; 6.6 million affected)
• CMS: 2026 Part B premium and IRMAA amounts; 2027 Part D base beneficiary premium ($41.33)
• BLS: CPI-U (for the inflation-indexed income lines); 42 U.S.C. 1395r(i)
• SSA: Form SSA-44 (12-2025); ssa.gov/medicare/lower-irmaa; POMS HI 01120.005
• IRS: 2025 Form 1040
All 2027 amounts are estimates until CMS announces them (usually mid-November). Federal rules only; examples are illustrative. This is educational content, not financial, tax or legal advice.
#Medicare #IRMAA #SocialSecurity
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What's your 2025 income going to do to your 2027 Medicare bill: under the line, just over it, or still figuring it out? And if you retired in the last year or two, have you looked at the SSA-44 yet? Tell me below. I'll post the official numbers the day Medicare announces them.