IRMAA charge on one spouse?

[lem1955]

Everything I have read says that if you file MFJ and exceed $176,000 income, both spouses have to pay the IRMAA surcharge. This year I am paying the IRMAA surcharge but my spouse is not. Are we just lucky or did Medicare/SS make a mistake to our benefit?

 

[finnski1]

That doesn't sound right to me.
Married filing jointly tax filing status

If MAGI in 2019 (or 2018 if 2019 is not available) was:
Then the Part B Premium* is:
Prescription Drug Coverage Premium** is:
More than $176,000 but less than or equal to $222,000
$207.90
$12.30
+ Plan premium
More than $222,000 but less than or equal to $276,000
$297.00
$31.80
+ Plan premium
More than $276,000 but less than or equal to $330,000
$386.10
$51.20
+ Plan premium
More than $330,000 but less than $750,000

Greater than or equal to $750,000 $475.20


$504.90 $70.70
+ Plan premium PER person

$77.10 + Plan Premium

 

[audreyh1]

Everything I have read says that if you file MFJ and exceed $176,000 income, both spouses have to pay the IRMAA surcharge. This year I am paying the IRMAA surcharge but my spouse is not. Are we just lucky or did Medicare/SS make a mistake to our benefit?

There is a mistake somewhere assuming you are both on Medicare.

 

[TheWizard]

Give it some time. They'll getcha...

 

[Midpack]

If you're both on Medicare, you both pay the IRMAA surcharges, and they'll catch up to you soon enough. If either of you aren't on Medicare, you're only hit with one set of surcharges.

 

[MichaelB]

One exception to both spouses paying IRMAA is if they filed MFS tax returns and did not live together during the tax year. In that case each would pay IRMAA based on their individual tax return.

If they filed joint and both are on Medicare, then yes, someone made a mistake. It will be corrected, entirely and retroactively, so plan on a reduced SS payment until the difference has been recovered.

 

[lem1955]

Give it some time. They'll getcha...

I think we can safely stay below the trigger level until I get to RMD, so maybe they won't catch up to us for one year's IRMAA charges. One can hope.....

 

[pb4uski]

Did you file MFJ in 2019?

 

[lem1955]

Did you file MFJ in 2019?

Yes. And that's the year I converted too much from tIRA to ROTH and triggered IRMAA. I had been focused only on the tax bracket cap, not the IRMAA trigger level.

 

[Koolau]

Yes. And that's the year I converted too much from tIRA to ROTH and triggered IRMAA. I had been focused only on the tax bracket cap, not the IRMAA trigger level.

Got caught once due to selling primary residence which had been rented previously. There was depreciation recapture which put us over the limit (in concert with our large Roth conversion that year.)

 

[RetMD21]

One exception to both spouses paying IRMAA is if they filed MFS tax returns and did not live together during the tax year. In that case each would pay IRMAA based on their individual tax return.

If they filed joint and both are on Medicare, then yes, someone made a mistake. It will be corrected, entirely and retroactively, so plan on a reduced SS payment until the difference has been recovered.

From the appeal form (SSA-44) I got the impression that you can file mfs living together but the rates look punitive https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-44-ext.pdf