Medicare Part D

How IRMAA raises Medicare Part B and Part D bills in Lowell

LOWELL, Mass. — As Medicare's fall Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, many Lowell retirees are opening letters from Social Security and finding a surprise: an extra charge tacked onto their Part B and Part D premiums. It's called IRMAA, and for 2026 it kicks in at incomes above $109,000 for a single filer.

Here's what that means for households in the Merrimack Valley — and how to plan for it.

What IRMAA actually is

IRMAA stands for the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It's not a penalty for doing anything wrong. It's simply an additional amount that higher-income beneficiaries pay on top of the standard Part B premium and their Part D drug plan premium.

Social Security determines who owes IRMAA using tax returns from two years earlier. So your 2026 surcharge is based on the income you reported on your 2024 federal tax return — specifically your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI).

The 2026 income thresholds

According to CMS, IRMAA begins in 2026 when MAGI crosses these lines:

• Single filers: above $109,000
• Married filing jointly: above $218,000
• Married filing separately: a much lower threshold applies

Above those numbers, there are five tiers. The higher your income, the higher the surcharge on both Part B and Part D. At the top tier (roughly $500,000 single / $750,000 joint and above), the added amount is substantial.

If your income falls below the first threshold, you pay only the standard Part B premium and whatever your Part D plan charges — no IRMAA.

Why Lowell readers are seeing this now

A few local realities make IRMAA worth watching in Middlesex County:

• Home sales and capital gains. Selling a longtime family home in Belvidere or the Highlands can push a one-year income spike well past $109,000, even for a retired couple living modestly.
• Roth conversions. Many Lowell retirees convert traditional IRA money to Roth accounts. That conversion counts as income and can trigger IRMAA two years later.
• Pension plus part-time work. Combining a public pension, Social Security, and consulting income can quietly push a single filer over the line.

Lowell is in Middlesex County, where retirees have a wide range of Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D drug plans to choose from during AEP. But IRMAA applies no matter which route you take — Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage, any Part D plan.

How the surcharge is collected

If you receive Social Security, the Part B portion of IRMAA is deducted automatically from your monthly benefit. The Part D portion is billed separately by Medicare — not by your drug plan — even if your plan premium itself is paid another way. Missing those bills can jeopardize your coverage, so watch the mail.

What to do if your income has dropped

IRMAA looks backward, which feels unfair when life has changed. The good news: Social Security allows appeals for certain life-changing events, including:

• Marriage, divorce, or death of a spouse
• Work stoppage or reduced hours (retirement counts)
• Loss of pension income
• Loss of income-producing property from a disaster

You file Form SSA-44 with documentation. If approved, Social Security recalculates using your more recent, lower income — which can remove or reduce the surcharge for the year.

How this fits with the bigger 2026 picture

IRMAA is one piece of a broader set of 2026 changes worth knowing:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026, up from $2,000 in 2025.
• The Part D deductible maximum is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.

None of those features change based on your income — but IRMAA does, so it's worth building into your fall review.