Medicare Part D

2027 Medicare IRMAA Brackets: Tampa, FL

TAMPA, Fla. — As Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, higher-income retirees in the Tampa Bay area are looking ahead to the income thresholds that trigger extra charges on Part B and Part D for 2027. If your income sits near one of the cutoffs, a small change on your tax return two years ago can mean a noticeably bigger Medicare bill next year.

Here is what the surcharge — known as IRMAA — is, who pays it, and what to expect for the 2027 brackets.

What IRMAA actually is

IRMAA stands for the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It is an extra amount that people with higher incomes pay on top of the standard Part B premium and, separately, on top of whatever Part D drug plan premium they choose.

A few key points to keep in mind:

• IRMAA is set by the Social Security Administration, not by your insurance plan.
• It applies to Original Medicare and to Medicare Advantage enrollees alike, because almost everyone still pays a Part B premium.
• It is based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) from two years earlier. For 2027, Social Security looks at your 2025 tax return.

If you cross a bracket by even one dollar, you land in that higher tier for the whole year. That "cliff" effect is why the thresholds matter so much.

The 2027 income brackets

For 2026, IRMAA begins once income rises above $109,000 for a single filer (and above $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly), according to CMS. From there, the surcharge climbs through several tiers, topping out for individuals with income at or above roughly $500,000 (and $750,000 for joint filers).

There are five IRMAA tiers in all. Each tier adds a set dollar amount to:

1. Your Part B monthly premium, and 2. Your Part D monthly premium (paid to Medicare, separate from what your drug plan charges).

Because IRMAA is a flat add-on per tier — not a percentage — two neighbors in different tiers can pay very different amounts even if their plan choices look identical. CMS publishes the 2027 IRMAA brackets and dollar amounts later in the fall, usually in November, alongside the Part B figures; Medicare posts the full table at Medicare.gov under "Costs."

Why Tampa retirees should double-check now

Tampa sits in Hillsborough County, which has a large and growing population of Medicare-eligible residents. Many are recent retirees whose 2024 income may have looked unusually high because of:

• A home sale (common in the Tampa Bay housing market),
• A Roth IRA conversion,
• Required minimum distributions from a retirement account,
• Severance or a final bonus from a working year,
• Capital gains from selling stock or a business.

Any of those can push a one-time income spike into IRMAA territory, even if your ongoing retirement income is modest. Since Social Security uses 2025 figures to set 2027 premiums, this is the year those decisions show up on your Medicare bill.

What to do if your income has dropped

If you had a life-changing event — you retired, a spouse died, you divorced, you lost a pension, or you had a work stoppage or reduction — you can ask Social Security to use more recent income instead of your 2024 return.

The form is SSA-44, "Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount – Life-Changing Event." You submit it to Social Security with proof (for example, a letter from your former employer or a death certificate). If approved, your IRMAA is recalculated using the newer income.

A one-time capital gain or Roth conversion is not on the list of qualifying life events. Those you generally have to ride out for one year.

How you'll actually pay it

For most people, the Part B portion of IRMAA is deducted from their Social Security check. The Part D portion is billed separately by Medicare, even if your drug plan premium is paid directly to a private insurer. You'll get a notice from Social Security late in the year showing the exact amounts.

If you disagree with the determination — for example, because the IRS data used was wrong or out of date — you have the right to appeal through Social Security.