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How to lower your Medicare premium after you retire (Form SSA-44)
Last checked October 5, 2026 against the official rules. Sources are listed at the end.
If your income dropped because you retired or had another big life change, send Social Security Form SSA-44. It asks them to use your newer, lower income instead of your tax return from two years ago. You may need to send one for each year the old, higher income is still being used.
Why retirees get surprised
People with higher incomes pay more for Medicare Part B and Part D. The official name for this extra charge is IRMAA. In 2026 it starts above $109,000 for a single person and $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly.
The catch: Medicare sets each year's price from your tax return from two years earlier. So your 2027 price is based on your 2025 income. If 2025 was your last full year of salary, you'll pay the higher price in 2027 even though you're now living on much less.
What Form SSA-44 does
It asks Social Security to use a newer year's income because something reduced your income. They call these "life-changing events," and only these count:
- You stopped working, or cut back your hours
- You married, divorced, or your spouse died
- You lost income from property because of a disaster or fraud
- A pension from an employer's plan ended, or was cut because the plan was ended or reorganized (choosing to take less doesn't count)
- You received a settlement payment from an employer that closed, went bankrupt or reorganized
Retiring counts as "stopped working." A big drop in investment income on its own doesn't count.
You may need more than one
This is where most people, and many websites, get it wrong. An SSA-44 fixes one year's price. Each new year is again based on income from two years before. If that year still includes your old salary, you need another SSA-44.
Example. A couple retires in mid-2027. Their income was $450,000 in 2025 and 2026, about $365,000 in 2027 (part salary), and $75,000 after that.
2027's price uses 2025 income: send an SSA-44. 2028's uses 2026: send another. 2029's uses 2027, which still includes salary: send a third. 2030's uses 2028, which is already low, so no form is needed.
Married? Each of you sends one
A Form SSA-44 only changes the premium of the person who signs it. If you're both on Medicare, you each send your own form, with the same household income.
How to send it
- Wait for the letter from Social Security about your higher premium, or send it at the start of the year using your estimated income.
- Fill out Form SSA-44 with your expected income for that year. A reasonable estimate is fine; they'll check it against your tax return later.
- Include proof of the life change, such as a letter from your employer showing your last day of work.
- Send it online through ssa.gov, mail it, or take it to your local Social Security office. Call 1-800-772-1213 to make an appointment.
If the income Social Security used is simply out of date because you filed a corrected tax return, send them a copy of the corrected return and the IRS's confirmation that it received it. If the IRS has the wrong numbers, that needs to be fixed with the IRS.
What it's worth
In 2026 the extra charge ranges from $1,148 to $6,936 a year per person. For a couple, correctly timed SSA-44s can save thousands of dollars a year.
See what you'd pay, and what an SSA-44 could save
Enter your income from two years ago and what you expect now. We'll show your Medicare price and the savings.
Sources
- SSA Form SSA-44 (Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount: Life-Changing Event)
- SSA: Premiums: Rules for higher-income beneficiaries
- CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles
This guide explains the general rules. It isn't legal, tax or insurance advice, and your situation may differ. Settled Years doesn't sell insurance or take commissions.