The way to get IRMAA reduced is to file form SSA-44 with the Social Security Administration, documenting a qualifying life-changing event that has lowered your income since the tax year Medicare measured. If Social Security accepts it, your IRMAA — the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount on your Part B and Part D premiums — is recalculated from your more recent, lower income, which can shrink the surcharge or remove it entirely.
Revised: 7/24/26
Jason Baar
Fee-Only Medicare Advisor
NPN #2033715
It shows where Medicare’s five income lines sit in 2026, what counts toward them, and the timing moves that can keep you under.
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The long answer
Eight events qualify: stopping work, reducing work hours, marriage, divorce or annulment, the death of a spouse, loss or reduction of pension income, loss of income-producing property through events beyond your control, and an employer settlement payment tied to a bankruptcy or reorganization. Retirement is by far the most common. You will need documentation — an employer letter or retirement date — plus your estimate of the new year’s income.
Be clear-eyed about what does not qualify: a Roth conversion, a large capital gain, or a one-time windfall in the measured year. Those surcharges cannot be appealed — though they expire on their own after a year, once a newer return replaces the old one.
A successful reduction is worth real money. The 2026 tiers add between $95.70 and $578.00 a month across Part B and Part D, per the Social Security Administration — so moving down even one tier saves four figures over a year. File as soon as the event occurs; there is no need to wait for a premium letter.
Printed from JasonKnowsMedicare.com — “How to Get IRMAA Reduced”. The free IRMAA Planning Guide is available at tally.so/r/81gEEA · Questions: (850) 810-1000
This page is educational information, not personal financial, tax, or legal advice. For decisions about your own situation, talk with a qualified professional.