With. the announcement of the August CPI-U the 2024 Brackets are official, they will increase by over 5.00% to start at $103,000 for an individual.
Now please keep in mind that at any point between now and the beginning of the 2024 Congress or the current Presidential Administration can alter these Medicare IRMAA Brackets, but if they do not then there will be at least a little bit of good news for seniors.
Official IRMAA 2024 Brackets
| Single | Couple MAGI | Part B | Part D |
|---|---|---|---|
| < $103,000 | < $206,000 | $174.70 | Premium (varies) |
| $103,000 to $129,000 | $206,000 to $258,000 | $244.60 | $12.90 |
| $129,000 to $161,000 | $258,000 to $322,000 | $349.40 | $33.30 |
| $161,000 to $193,000 | $322,000 to $386,000 | $454.20 | $53.80 |
| $193,000 to $500,000 | $386,000 to $750,000 | $559.00 | $74.20 |
| > $500,000 | > $750,000 | $594.00 | $81.00 |
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How the IRMAA Brackets adjust:
When Congress created Medicare IRMAA back in 2003 through the passing of the Medicare Moderniztion Act, they ruled that the IRMAA Brackets would adjust by
“The percentage (if any) by which the average of the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (United States city average) for the 12-month period ending with August of the preceding calendar year exceeds such average for the 12-month period.”
So, if the CPI-U at the end of August of the current year is greater than the previous August then the IRMAA Brackets will increase. Note the inflation rate does not determine IRMAA costs.
By the way there is no language that would stop the IRMAA Brackets from going down if the CPI-U would actually deflate from year to year.
In terms of the all the Thresholds within the IRMAA Brackets, due to the passing of the Bi-Partisan Budget Act of 2018 the 5th Threshold in the IRMAA Brackets will not adjust for inflation until 2028.
What are the IRMAA Brackets:
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA) the IRMAA Brackets are a:
“Set of tables containing modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) ranges and income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA). There are 3 tables, each based on a person’s income tax filing status”.
The IRMAA Brackets and surcharges/ plan premium, according to a person tax filing status in 2023 are:
| Single, head of household or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child | ||
| MAGI | Part B Premium is | Part D Premium is |
| < $97,000 | $164.90 | Premium (varies) |
| $97,000 to $123,000 | $230.80 | Premium + $12.20 |
| $123,000 to $153,000 | $329.70 | Premium + $31.50 |
| $153,000 to $183,000 | $428.60 | Premium + $50.70 |
| $183,000 to $500,000 | $527.50 | Premium + $70.00 |
| > $500,000 | $560.50 | Premium + $76.40 |
| Tax Filing Status: Married, filing jointly | ||
| MAGI | Part B Premium is | Part D Premium is |
| < $194,000 | $164.90 | Premium (varies) |
| $194,000 to $246,000 | $230.80 | Premium + $12.20 |
| $246,000 to $306,000 | $329.70 | Premium + $31.50 |
| $306,000 to $366,000 | $428.60 | Premium + $50.70 |
| $366,000 to $750,000 | $527.50 | Premium + $70.00 |
| > $750,000 | $560.50 | Premium + $76.40 |
| Tax filing Status: Married, Filing Separately | ||
| MAGI | Part B Premium is | Part D Premium is |
| < $97,000 | $164.90 | Premium (varies) |
| $97,000- $403,000 | $527.50 | Premium + $70.00 |
| >$403,000 | $560.50 | Premium + $76.40 |
What the 2024 IRMAA Brackets, by law are should be:
| Single, head of household or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child | ||
| MAGI | Part B Premium is | Part D Premium is |
| < $102,000 | $174.80 | Premium (varies) |
| $102,000 to $130,000 | $244.70 | Premium + $12.90 |
| $130,000 to $161,000 | $349.50 | Premium + $33.30 |
| $161,000 to $193,000 | $454.40 | Premium + $53.80 |
| $193,000 to $500,000 | $559.20 | Premium + $74.20 |
| > $500,000 | $594.20 | Premium + $81.00 |
| Tax Filing Status: Married, filing jointly | ||
| MAGI | Part B Premium is | Part D Premium is |
| $204,000.00 | $174.80 | Premium (varies) |
| $204,000 to $260,000 | $244.70 | Premium + $12.90 |
| $260,000 to $322,000 | $349.50 | Premium + $33.30 |
| $322,000 to $386,000 | $454.40 | Premium + $53.80 |
| $386,000 to $750,000 | $559.20 | Premium + $74.20 |
| > $750,000 | $594.20 | Premium + $81.00 |
| Tax filing Status: Married, Filing Separately | ||
| MAGI | Part B Premium is | Part D Premium is |
| < $103,000 | $174.80 | Premium (varies) |
| $102,000- $403,000 | $559.20 | Premium + $74.20 |
| >$403,000 | $594.20 | Premium + $81.00 |
What is IRMAA:
IRMAA is short for Medicare’s Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount which is according to the Code of Federal Regulations:
“An amount that you will pay for your Medicare Part B and D coverage when your modified adjusted gross income is above the certain thresholds.”
IRMAA is a tax on your income through Medicare Part B and Part D coverage if you have too much income while in retirement.
Will you actually enter IRMAA:
According to the 2022 Medicare Board of Trustees Report, currently, there are over 6.8 million people in IRMAA. These people in IRMAA make up 16.63% of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries.
By 2031, according to recent reports the number of people in IRMAA will double to 13.8 million eligible people in IRMAA.
IRMAA is a revenue generator for both the Medicare and Social Security programs.
For the Medicare program, IRMAA is an added cost that the person in it must pay. This added cost provides more money each year for the program.
As for Social Security, according to Congress, all IRMAA costs are automatically deducted from any Social Security benefit a person is receiving. Thus, for those who enter IRMAA, Social Security has to pay out less to them which reduces that program’s obligation to pay benefits.
With both Medicare and Social Security projected by the government to be insolvent (unable to pay) in less than 8 years the easiest way to save these programs is to make sure more people are in IRMAA.
How do you reach an IRMAA bracket:
IRMAA is all about your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).
The more of it you have the higher the chances that you have to reaching IRMAA while having less of an MAGI reduces the chance of you reaching IRMAA.
What counts towards your MAGI:
According to Social Security your MAGI is the total of your adjusted gross income (AGI) and any tax-exempt interest you may have.
Both of these can be found on lines 2a and 11 of your 2022 IRS tax form 1040.
Some examples of where your MAGI will come from are:
| Taxable Social Security benefits | Traditional 401(k) Withdrawals |
| Wages | Traditional IRA Withdrawals |
| Pension & Rental Income | Traditional 403(b) Withdrawals |
| Capital Gains | Qualified Annuities |
| Dividends | Interest |
If you want to avoid IRMAA all together then the goal is to generate an income from financial instruments that do not count towards your MAGI and they are:
| Roth Account Withdrawals |
| Life Insurance Loans |
| Non-Qualified Annuities* |
| Health Saving Account Withdrawals |
| 401(h) Plans |
| Home Loans or Reverse Mortgages |
*Non-Qualified Annuities – depending on certain factors a certain portion of all income you will receive from them can be completely tax free. Please see an IRMAA Certified Professional for more information on which Annuity is best for you.
For a complete list of what does and does not count towards IRMAA please click here.
How to File an Appeal
You have made your decision and you are going to file an appeal of IRMAA now what you do comes down to how you want to appeal.
For Medicare enrollees with a qualifying life changing event:
All that needs to be done is for you to fill out the SSA-44 form by competing the first 3 pages and then submit it with your corresponding proof of your life changing event to your local SSA office.
You can find your local SSA office here.
Once the paperwork is submitted all correspondence about your appeal will be mailed to you from the SSA. If the result is not satisfactory you can request a hearing which can also be done through your local SSA office.
For Medicare enrollees without a qualifying life changing event but who want to appeal based on an updated tax-return or income discrepancy:
Appealing IRMAA is even simpler than have a qualifying life changing event as all that is needed to be done is for you to request an appeal at your local SSA office.
Explain to the local Field Representative that you have a received an IRMAA notification and that you like to appeal based on updated tax information.
A case number will be assigned to you as well as Field Agent, which could be the person at your local office, so always be nice and any correspondence about your case ill be mailed to you by the SSA.
If the IRMAA result is not satisfactory you can always request a hearing at your local SSA office too.
At the point of request your local agent will be able to submit your appeal and a case number at that moment should be assigned to you. As your case is evolving you will have to provide documentation that disproves the information that the IRS has provided which can be a corrected or amended tax-return or even a more update one
Conclusion:
The 2024 IRMAA Brackets are, by law, going to increase, but the odds of you or someone you know reaching IRMAA at some point are also increasing.
The only way to ensure that IRMAA is never a part of your retirement is to be able to generate an income that doesn’t count towards it.
To find an IRMAA Certified Professional in your area please click here
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