Do I Have to Take Medicare at 65? The Employer-Plan Rules
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Guides · Medicare
Medicare guides: premiums, IRMAA and enrollment
What Medicare Part B and Part D will cost you, how the income-related surcharge called IRMAA works, and how to avoid late-enrollment penalties that can last for life. We use the figures CMS and the Social Security Administration publish and label next year’s numbers as projected until they are final.
3 guides Verified October 23, 2026
What should you know about Medicare first?
Two things catch people out: the income surcharge on Part B and Part D is based on your tax return from two years earlier, so a one-time spike such as a large Roth conversion shows up long after the money is spent. And a missed enrollment window can add a penalty that lasts as long as you have coverage.
Our view: check the IRMAA (income-related monthly adjustment amount) brackets before a big income event, not after. If your income has since dropped because you stopped or cut back work, married, divorced or lost a spouse, you can ask Social Security to use a more recent year with Form SSA-44. It is worth filing whenever the drop would move you to a lower bracket.
Which Medicare questions can you answer right now?
Each of these questions opens a free calculator or reference page that works out the official answer for your own situation in a minute or two. There is no sign-up and nothing to download, and every result shows the official figures and sources behind it, so you can check the math yourself.
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Calculators for Medicare
Medicare Premium CalculatorYour Part B and Part D costs for 2026 and 2027 — including IRMAA and late-enrollment penalties — for one or two people.Open IRMAA CalculatorWill your income trigger Medicare's IRMAA surcharge? See your tier, the yearly cost, and how far you are from the next cliff.Open IRMAA Brackets 20272027 IRMAA income brackets (based on your 2025 tax return) and what each tier adds to Part B and Part D.Open Medicare Sign-Up WindowYour 7-month Initial Enrollment Period and the coverage start date for every month you could sign up.Open Part B Late Penalty CalculatorThe lifetime Part B late penalty: 10% per full year late, priced for 2026 and 2027.Open Medigap Open EnrollmentYour one-time 6-month Medigap window with guaranteed issue — exact start and end dates.Open Extra Help Eligibility CheckCheck Extra Help (Part D Low-Income Subsidy) eligibility with the 2026 income and resource limits.Open Medicare Savings Program CheckCheck QMB, SLMB and QI eligibility with the 2026 limits and see what each program pays.Open IRMAA Brackets 2028Projected 2028 IRMAA brackets based on 2026 income, and the tier your income would land in.Open
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