2027 IRMAA brackets: the projected income lines, and why they disagree
The projected 2027 IRMAA thresholds start near $112,000 single and $224,000 joint. Here is the full table, the method behind it, and how far the estimates spread.
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MAGI · first tier, single · Projected. CMS confirms in November 2026
The 2027 IRMAA brackets are projected to start at about $112,000 of MAGI for a single filer and $224,000 for a couple filing jointly, up from $109,000 and $218,000 in 2026. Published estimates spread from $111,000 to $113,000 because each one assumes a slightly different CPI-U. CMS confirms the real figures around November 2026, and they are applied to the income on your 2025 tax return.
If your income is above the threshold, you do not pay the standard Part B premium. You pay it plus a surcharge called IRMAA — the income-related monthly adjustment amount.
The 2027 lines are not confirmed. But they are not a mystery either: the thresholds move by a formula, so they can be projected months before CMS announces them.
The projected 2027 brackets
| Tier | Single filer (MAGI) | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| No surcharge | up to $112,000 | up to $224,000 |
| 1 | $112,001 – $140,000 | $224,001 – $280,000 |
| 2 | $140,001 – $175,000 | $280,001 – $350,000 |
| 3 | $175,001 – $210,000 | $350,001 – $420,000 |
| 4 | $210,001 – $499,999 | $420,001 – $749,999 |
| 5 | $500,000 and up | $750,000 and up |
In 2026 the first line sat at $109,000 single and $218,000 joint, so the projection is a rise of roughly 3.5%.
The top tier is not a projection. The $500,000 and $750,000 lines are held flat by statute through 2027. They will not move no matter what inflation does.
Why published estimates disagree
You will see the first threshold given as $111,000, $112,000 or $113,000 depending on where you look. None of them is wrong — they are the same formula run with slightly different inflation assumptions.
The rule: each threshold is the base amount grown by the increase in average CPI-U over the 12 months ending in August of the preceding year, measured against August 2006, then rounded to the nearest $1,000. For 2027 that window is the twelve months ending August 2026, and a central assumption of about 2.5% CPI-U growth produces the table above.
The rounding is what makes the estimates diverge. A difference of a tenth of a point in the assumed index moves the result across a $1,000 boundary and changes the published figure. That is why a spread of $2,000 between sources means the analysts agree, not that one of them is wrong.
The part people miss: it looks two years back
Your 2027 surcharge is based on the income you reported on your 2025 tax return — the one you filed in 2026.
That has a practical consequence. If you retired in 2026, your 2027 IRMAA is calculated on your working income from 2025. You can be paying a surcharge based on a salary you no longer earn.
If that is your situation, you do not have to wait it out. A qualifying life-changing event — retirement, divorce, the death of a spouse, loss of income-producing property — lets you ask SSA to use your current income instead, using form SSA-44.
What to do with a projection
It is a planning number, not a bill. Two things it is genuinely useful for right now:
If your 2025 MAGI landed near a line, you already know whether you are exposed. Nothing you do in 2026 changes a 2027 surcharge based on 2025 income — that year is closed. What you can do is check whether the return was filed correctly, because an amended return can move you back under.
If your 2026 income is near a line, you are deciding your 2028 surcharge right now. A Roth conversion, a large capital gain, or selling a property this year can push you over a threshold two years from now. The brackets are cliffs, not slopes: one dollar over the line applies the full surcharge for the whole year.
When the real number arrives
CMS confirms the 2027 brackets around November 2026, together with the Part B premium and deductible. This page carries a review date for that week, and the table above will be replaced with the confirmed figures the day they publish.
All the 2027 figures we track, with the date each one becomes official, are on the 2027 numbers page.
Questions people ask
What are the 2027 IRMAA brackets for married filing jointly?
Projected at $224,000, $280,000, $350,000 and $420,000, with the top tier fixed by law at $750,000. The first three are projections; the $750,000 line is statutory and will not move for 2027.
Which year's income counts for 2027?
Generally your 2025 tax return — the one you filed in 2026. Medicare uses a two-year lookback.
What were the 2026 brackets?
IRMAA started at $109,000 for a single filer and $218,000 for a couple filing jointly.
Can I appeal it?
Yes, if you had a qualifying life-changing event such as retirement, divorce or the death of a spouse. File form SSA-44 with the Social Security Administration.
When does CMS publish the official numbers?
Around November 2026, at the same time it confirms the Part B premium and the deductible.