Medicare Part D

2026 Medicare IRMAA Brackets: What Bellevue Filers Owe

BELLEVUE, Wash. — If you're on Medicare and your income has crept up in recent years, brace for a look at your 2026 mail. The Social Security Administration is finalizing next year's income-related monthly adjustment amounts, or IRMAA — the surcharges that higher earners pay on top of standard Part B and Part D premiums. For 2026, those extra charges kick in once a single filer's income tops $109,000, or $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly.

Here in Bellevue, where household incomes often run well above the national median, IRMAA hits more households than in many other parts of Washington. Knowing where the brackets fall — and how to appeal if your income has dropped — can spare you an unwelcome surprise.

What IRMAA actually is

IRMAA stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It's not a penalty. It's an extra amount added to your Medicare Part B (doctor visits, outpatient care) and Part D (prescription drugs) premiums when your income is above a set threshold.

Most people on Medicare pay only the standard Part B premium. But roughly the top 8% of beneficiaries pay more because of IRMAA. The surcharge is based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) — generally your adjusted gross income plus any tax-exempt interest.

One important quirk: Medicare looks two years back. Your 2026 IRMAA is based on your 2024 tax return. So a big one-time event in 2024 — selling a home, cashing out stock, taking a large IRA distribution — can push you into a higher bracket next year, even if your income has since returned to normal.

The 2026 income brackets

For 2026, IRMAA applies at these MAGI levels (based on 2024 income):

• Single filer: surcharges start above $109,000
• Married filing jointly: surcharges start above $218,000
• Married filing separately: a separate, tighter schedule applies, with surcharges starting at a much lower threshold

There are five IRMAA tiers in all. Each higher bracket adds more to both your Part B and your Part D premium. The highest tier applies to single filers with MAGI at or above roughly $500,000 (and joint filers at or above $750,000).

The exact dollar amounts of the 2026 surcharges are set by CMS each fall. For the current, official figures, check medicare.gov under "Costs."

How the Part D piece works

The Part D IRMAA is a little different from Part B. Instead of being added to your plan's premium bill, it's typically deducted from your Social Security check — or billed directly by Medicare if you don't receive Social Security. You still pay your plan's regular premium to your Part D or Medicare Advantage drug plan separately.

This is worth knowing in 2026 because Part D itself is changing in ways that help enrollees: there's a new $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs, the maximum Part D deductible is $615, and the old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan also lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments if you choose.

IRMAA is separate from all of that — it's an income-based charge, not a benefit change.

Bellevue and King County context

Bellevue is in King County, where Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. That means the number of Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D options a Bellevue resident can choose from is the same as for anyone else in King County. IRMAA, however, is federal — it's the same threshold whether you live in Bellevue, Bellingham, or Boise.

What makes the local angle real is the math: Bellevue's median household income sits well above state and national averages, and many retirees here have significant investment or retirement account income. That makes IRMAA a more common line item on Eastside Medicare bills than in lower-cost regions.

If your income has dropped: you can appeal

Because IRMAA uses 2024 income for 2026, life changes matter. If you've had a "life-changing event," you can ask Social Security to use more recent income instead. Qualifying events include:

• Marriage, divorce, or the death of a spouse
• You or your spouse stopped working or reduced hours (retirement counts)
• Loss of income-producing property (not due to sale)
• Loss or reduction of a pension
• An employer settlement payment

You file Form SSA-44 with Social Security, along with documentation. If approved, your IRMAA is adjusted — sometimes eliminated — for the year.

Key dates this fall and winter

Two enrollment windows matter as you look at your 2026 coverage:

• Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. This is when you can switch Advantage plans, join or change Part D coverage, or move between Original Medicare and Advantage.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in an Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.

IRMAA itself isn't something you "enroll" in — Social Security notifies you by letter, usually in late fall, if you'll owe it in the new year.