2027 at a glance
- Projected standard Part B premium
- $218.60/mo +$15.70 vs 2026
- Income year that counts
- 2025 MAGI (two-year lookback)
- IRMAA starts above
- ~$112,000 single · ~$224,000 joint
- Official CMS figures
- Expected November 2026
Projected 2027 IRMAA brackets — single and married filing jointly
Part B amounts below are the total monthly premium you would pay, not just the surcharge. Part D amounts are the IRMAA surcharge added on top of whatever your drug plan charges. The final column is the combined Part B + Part D surcharge for a full year, per person.
| 2025 MAGI — Single | 2025 MAGI — Married joint | Part B premium /mo | Part D surcharge /mo | Total IRMAA /yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $112,000 or less | $224,000 or less | $218.60 | — | $0 |
| $112,001 – $142,000 | $224,001 – $284,000 | $306.00 | +$15.40 | $1,233.60 |
| $142,001 – $177,000 | $284,001 – $354,000 | $437.20 | +$39.70 | $3,099.60 |
| $177,001 – $212,000 | $354,001 – $424,000 | $568.40 | +$64.00 | $4,965.60 |
| $212,001 – $499,999 | $424,001 – $749,999 | $699.50 | +$88.30 | $6,830.40 |
| $500,000 or more | $750,000 or more | $743.20 | +$96.40 | $7,452.00 |
Projected figures — not official. Married-joint thresholds are exactly double the single thresholds. "Total IRMAA /yr" is the combined Part B and Part D surcharge for one person over twelve months; a married couple where both are enrolled pays it twice.
Projected 2027 brackets — married filing separately
Married filing separately has its own three-tier structure and jumps almost straight to the top. If you lived apart from your spouse for the entire year, you are treated as a single filer instead.
| 2025 MAGI | Part B premium /mo | Part D surcharge /mo | Total IRMAA /yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| $112,000 or less | $218.60 | — | $0 |
| $112,001 – ~$406,000 | $699.50 | +$88.30 | $6,830.40 |
| Above ~$406,000 | $743.20 | +$96.40 | $7,452.00 |
The married-filing-separately upper threshold is the least certain figure on this page. No major forecaster publishes a 2027 MFS projection, so we carried the official 2026 threshold of $394,000 forward at the same inflation assumption used for the other brackets. Treat it as approximate.
What changes from 2026 to 2027
The 2026 figures below are official. The 2027 figures are projected. The gap is what a typical household in each bracket should expect to absorb.
| Bracket | 2026 actual | 2027 projected | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (no IRMAA) | $0 | $0 | — |
| 1st IRMAA bracket | $1,148.40 | $1,233.60 | +$85.20 |
| 2nd IRMAA bracket | $2,884.80 | $3,099.60 | +$214.80 |
| 3rd IRMAA bracket | $4,620.00 | $4,965.60 | +$345.60 |
| 4th IRMAA bracket | $6,355.20 | $6,830.40 | +$475.20 |
| Top bracket | $6,936.00 | $7,452.00 | +$516.00 |
The standard Part B premium itself is projected to rise from $202.90 to $218.60 — an increase of $15.70/mo, or $188.40 a year, that everyone on Part B pays regardless of IRMAA. The figures above are the IRMAA surcharge only, on top of that.
How these projections are calculated
Two separate mechanisms drive the numbers, and they carry different levels of confidence.
The premium amounts
IRMAA surcharges are not arbitrary dollar figures — each bracket is a fixed multiple of the standard Part B premium. The brackets charge 1.4×, 2.0×, 2.6×, 3.2× and 3.4× the standard premium respectively. Once you know the standard premium, every Part B figure in the table follows arithmetically. The 2025 Medicare Trustees Report projects a standard 2027 premium of $218.60, which produces the Part B column above.
Part D IRMAA works the same way against the national base beneficiary premium, which is projected to rise from about $39.00 in 2026 to about $41.32 in 2027.
The income thresholds
The first four brackets are indexed to CPI-U, measured over the twelve months from September 2025 through August 2026, then rounded to the nearest $1,000. As of July 2026, nine of the eleven readings needed are already published — which is why the thresholds above are much firmer than a guess made a year ago. The top bracket is frozen by statute at $500,000 single and $750,000 joint and does not move with inflation at all.
Why other sites show slightly different numbers
Forecasters differ on what inflation does over the two remaining months. Projections built on a lower assumption put the middle brackets about $1,000–$2,000 lower — roughly $111,000 / $140,000 / $175,000 / $210,000 for single filers instead of the figures in our table. If your 2025 income lands within about $2,000 of any threshold, treat yourself as being on the wrong side of it until CMS publishes the official numbers.
Planning strategies for the 2025 income year
Because the 2027 thresholds will sit higher than 2026's, staying comfortably below a 2026 IRMAA cliff generally keeps you safe for 2027 too — a built-in buffer. A few tactics that matter during the 2025 income year:
- Time Roth conversions so a conversion doesn't tip your MAGI over the next threshold. Convert up to — not past — the edge of your bracket.
- Spread large withdrawals across two calendar years rather than taking them all at once.
- Watch capital gains from selling a home or investments; a single large gain can jump you multiple tiers.
- Remember tax-exempt interest counts toward MAGI, so municipal-bond income still drives the surcharge.
- Mind the cliff, not the slope. IRMAA is a cliff, not a phase-in — one dollar over a threshold costs you the entire bracket. Crossing from the 1st to the 2nd bracket costs an extra $1,866 a year.
What to do in the meantime
Run your expected 2025 income through the IRMAA calculator to see which bracket you'd land in under today's thresholds — since 2027's cliffs sit slightly higher, that gives you a deliberately conservative answer. If your income has already dropped because of retirement, the death of a spouse, or another qualifying event, you may be able to appeal with Form SSA-44 rather than wait two years for the lookback to catch up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the projected 2027 Medicare Part B premium?
The 2025 Medicare Trustees Report projects $218.60 per month, up $15.70 from the official 2026 premium of $202.90. This is a projection — CMS sets the actual figure from program spending, and it can land above or below the Trustees' estimate.
Where do the 2027 IRMAA brackets start?
IRMAA is projected to begin above roughly $112,000 of 2025 MAGI for single filers and $224,000 for married couples filing jointly. Below those lines you pay only the standard premium.
How much is IRMAA in 2027?
Projected annual cost per person runs from about $1,234 in the first bracket to about $7,452 in the top bracket, combining the Part B and Part D surcharges over twelve months. See the full table above.
What income determines 2027 IRMAA?
Your 2025 federal tax return. The two-year lookback means income earned during 2025 sets your 2027 Medicare surcharge.
When are the official 2027 brackets released?
Around November 2026, when CMS publishes the annual Medicare Part B premium and IRMAA thresholds. We update this page with the confirmed figures the day they are published.
How accurate are these projections?
The thresholds depend on CPI-U data from September 2025 through August 2026, and nine of the eleven readings are already published — so the remaining uncertainty on the middle brackets is roughly $1,000–$2,000. The Part B premium projection is looser, because CMS sets it from program spending rather than inflation.
Will the 2027 brackets be higher than 2026?
Almost certainly for the first four brackets, which are indexed to inflation. The top bracket is frozen by law at $500,000 single / $750,000 joint and does not move.
Projections are illustrative and not official. This page is general educational information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Confirm figures with Medicare.gov once the 2027 brackets are published.