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IRMAA is the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount — an extra charge added to your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums if your income is above a set threshold. Social Security bases it on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) from your tax return two years earlier, so your 2026 premiums are set from your 2024 return.

Form SSA-44 asks Social Security to use a more recent, lower income to set your IRMAA, instead of the two-year-old return, because of a "life-changing event." Social Security recognizes eight: marriage, divorce or annulment, death of your spouse, you or your spouse stopping work, you or your spouse reducing work, loss of income-producing property, loss of a pension, or an employer settlement payment.

If the income was high because of a one-time event that isn't on Social Security's list — selling a home, a Roth conversion, a large IRA or 401(k) withdrawal, capital gains, or a required minimum distribution — then Form SSA-44 does not apply, because none of those is a "life-changing event." Our free check tells you this up front so you don't waste a filing. In that case the surcharge generally falls off on its own after two years, and we explain your other options.

The IRMAA surcharge ranges from roughly a thousand dollars a year to several thousand per person, on top of the base premium, depending on income. If your newer income is below the first threshold, a successful SSA-44 can remove the surcharge entirely. Our free estimate shows the figures for your tax year and filing status based on your answers.

No. You submit the form to your own Social Security office — by mail, by fax, or in person — which is free. We prepare the completed form, list the documents Social Security wants for your event, give you a cover letter, and walk you through it. We never ask for a Social Security login and never contact the agency on your behalf.

No. You can file Form SSA-44 as soon as a life-changing event has happened and you can estimate your lower income — you don't have to wait for the surcharge notice. If you've already received the notice, act promptly; there is a window to ask Social Security to reconsider.

No. Lower My IRMAA is independent self-help software, not Social Security, Medicare or a financial advisor, and does not give advice. It prepares Form SSA-44 from the facts you enter. Social Security makes the final decision. For a complicated situation, talk to a qualified advisor.