Medicare Part D

Medicare IRMAA in Virginia Beach: 2027 thresholds

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — If your income has climbed in recent years, your 2026 Medicare bill could climb with it. Starting in January, higher earners will again pay an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA, on top of the standard Part B and Part D premiums. For 2026, the surcharge kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Here's what Virginia Beach residents should know before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7.

What IRMAA actually is

IRMAA is not a separate bill or a penalty. It's an extra amount added to your monthly Part B (doctor visits, outpatient care) and Part D (prescription drug) premiums when your income is above a certain level. Most people never pay it — CMS estimates only a small share of beneficiaries do — but if you're a professional still working, a retiree with a strong pension, or someone who sold a home or took a big IRA withdrawal two years ago, IRMAA can catch you off guard.

The surcharge is set by law and collected by Social Security. It usually comes straight out of your monthly Social Security check.

The income used isn't this year's income

This is the part that trips people up the most. Your 2027 IRMAA will be based on your 2025 tax return — the most recent one Social Security has on file. Medicare uses what's called your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI): your AGI plus any tax-exempt interest.

So a bonus, a Roth conversion, or a capital gain from 2024 can raise your Medicare premiums two years later. If you're planning a large financial move in 2025 or 2026, it's worth asking your tax professional how it may affect your Medicare costs in 2027 or 2028.

The 2027 income thresholds

For 2026, IRMAA begins above these income levels (based on your 2024 MAGI):

• Single filer: more than $109,000
• Married filing jointly: more than $218,000
• Married filing separately (lived with spouse): a much lower threshold applies

From there, IRMAA rises through five tiers. The highest tier applies to single filers with income at or above roughly $500,000, and joint filers at or above roughly $750,000. Both Part B and Part D surcharges use the same income brackets, but the dollar amounts added to each premium are different. CMS publishes the exact figures each fall at medicare.gov.

If your income has dropped, you can appeal

This is the most important thing to know, and the most missed. If you had a life-changing event that lowered your income, you can ask Social Security to use more recent numbers instead of your 2024 return. Qualifying events include:

• Marriage, divorce, or the death of a spouse
• You or your spouse stopped working or reduced hours
• Loss of pension income
• Loss of income-producing property (not from a sale)

You file Form SSA-44 with documentation. Many retirees who left the workforce in 2026 may end up paying an IRMAA surcharge in 2027 that they don't actually owe — simply because they never filed the form.

How IRMAA fits with the rest of your 2027 costs

Even if you pay IRMAA, the broader 2027 Medicare picture has some real relief built in for drug costs:

• Part D out-of-pocket costs are capped at $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old "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 level monthly payments instead of paying a big amount at the pharmacy counter.

Virginia Beach is in Virginia Beach city, where beneficiaries have a healthy number of Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D options to compare during AEP. Availability and premium structures vary, so the Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the tool to use for apples-to-apples comparisons.