Medicare Part D

2026 IRMAA: Income Brackets That Trigger Medicare Surcharges

LARAMIE, Wyo. — As Medicare's fall Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, higher earners in Albany County are getting a clearer picture of what they'll pay next year. The income thresholds that trigger extra charges on Part B and Part D — known as IRMAA — kick in above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026. If your income sits near that line, it pays to understand how the surcharge works before you make any coverage decisions.

What IRMAA actually is

IRMAA stands for the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It's not a separate bill you shop for — it's an extra amount added to your standard Part B premium and, if you have drug coverage, to your Part D premium. Social Security calculates it automatically based on your tax return and notifies you by mail.

Most people with Medicare don't pay IRMAA at all. It only applies to beneficiaries whose income crosses specific thresholds set each year by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The 2026 income thresholds

For 2026, the first IRMAA tier starts when a single filer's modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is above $109,000, or above $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly. From there, the surcharges climb through several higher tiers, topping out for individuals with very high incomes.

A few important points:

• Medicare looks back two years. Your 2026 IRMAA is based on your 2024 tax return.
• It's a cliff, not a slope. Cross a threshold by even $1 and you move into the next tier.
• It applies to both Part B and Part D. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage, the Part D portion of IRMAA still applies.

For the most current bracket-by-bracket figures, check Medicare.gov's "Costs" page, which CMS updates each year.

Life changes can lower your surcharge

If your income has dropped since 2024 because of a specific life event — retirement, the death of a spouse, divorce, loss of pension income, or reduced work hours — you can ask Social Security to reconsider. The form is SSA-44, "Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount – Life-Changing Event."

This is one of the most overlooked steps in Medicare. People who retired last year sometimes pay a full year of IRMAA they didn't need to, simply because no one told them to file the form.

Mistakes to avoid this fall

• Don't ignore the letter. If Social Security sends an IRMAA determination, read it carefully. You have 60 days to request a reconsideration if the income data is wrong or outdated.
• Don't assume Medicare Advantage avoids it. IRMAA follows the person, not the plan type. Switching from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan during AEP won't erase a surcharge.
• Watch one-time income spikes. A Roth conversion, home sale, or large capital gain in 2024 could push your 2026 premium into a higher tier. Talk with a tax advisor before year-end if you're close to a threshold.
• Coordinate with your spouse. Because the joint filer thresholds are exactly double the single ones, the "marriage penalty" is minimal here — but a widowed beneficiary filing single the following year can suddenly jump brackets.

Where IRMAA fits into the bigger 2026 picture

IRMAA is only one line in a year that brings several other Medicare updates. In 2026, the Part D out-of-pocket maximum is $2,100, and the Part D deductible can be no higher than $615. The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") remains eliminated, replaced by the three-phase structure that took effect in 2025. Beneficiaries can also opt into the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread drug costs evenly across the year.

For Laramie residents, plan availability itself is set at the county level. Laramie is in Albany County, where the mix of Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D options is determined by which carriers file to serve that market. IRMAA, however, does not change based on where you live.