Medicare Part D

2026 Medicare IRMAA: What Higher Earners in Bangor Pay

BANGOR, Maine — As Medicare's fall Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, higher-income retirees along the Penobscot are getting a closer look at something that often catches people off guard: the income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA. For 2026, the surcharge kicks in once a single filer's modified adjusted gross income tops $109,000 — and it applies to both Part B and Part D.

If your income is under that threshold, IRMAA doesn't apply to you. But if you're near it, or you had a big income year two years ago, here's what to know.

What IRMAA Actually Is

IRMAA is an extra amount added to your standard Part B and Part D premiums when your income is above a set level. It isn't a penalty for signing up late — that's a different rule. It's simply a tiered surcharge that higher earners pay on top of the base premium.

Social Security uses your most recent tax return on file — usually from two years ago — to decide whether you owe it. So your 2027 IRMAA is generally based on your 2025 tax return.

The 2027 Income Brackets

For 2026, the surcharge begins above $109,000 for single filers and $218,000 for married couples filing jointly. Above those first thresholds, IRMAA rises in tiers — the higher your income, the higher the surcharge — until it reaches the top bracket for the highest earners.

Both Part B and Part D have their own IRMAA amount. If you owe it, you'll see the Part B surcharge added to your Social Security deduction, and the Part D surcharge billed separately (even if you get your drug coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan).

For the exact dollar amounts at each tier, check Medicare.gov's "Costs" page, which is updated each year by CMS.

How to Decide What to Do Next

If you're a Bangor-area reader trying to figure out how IRMAA affects your plan choice this fall, a few practical steps help:

• Pull your 2025 tax return. That's the income Social Security will likely use for 2027.
• Look at your MAGI, not just your salary. Modified adjusted gross income includes things like tax-exempt interest and can push you over a bracket you didn't expect.
• Know that IRMAA is a "cliff," not a slope. Going $1 over a threshold moves you into the next tier for the full year. If you're close to a line, talk with a tax preparer before year-end.
• Remember Part D applies even inside Medicare Advantage. If your Advantage plan includes drug coverage, the Part D IRMAA still applies.

If Your Income Has Dropped

This is the part many people miss. If you've had a life-changing event — retirement, the death of a spouse, divorce, loss of pension income, or reduced work hours — you can ask Social Security to use more recent income instead of the two-year-old return.

You do this by filing Form SSA-44. It's free, and approvals are common when the event clearly reduced your income. For a lot of newly retired Mainers, this single form is the difference between paying IRMAA and not.

What Else Is Changing in 2027

IRMAA isn't the only Part D-related figure moving for next year. For 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400. Once your drug spending hits that ceiling, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible maxes out at $700 (plans can set it lower).
• The old coverage gap — the "donut hole" — is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.

These changes apply to everyone in Part D, whether or not you owe IRMAA.

Where to Get Local, One-on-One Help

Bangor is in Penobscot County, and plan availability — for both stand-alone Part D and Medicare Advantage — is set at the county level. If you want to talk through your specific numbers with someone who isn't selling anything, Maine's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), called Maine SHIP, offers free counseling by phone and in person.