Free Download · 5-Step Framework
The IRMAA Avoidance Checklist: stay below the Medicare cliffs
In 2026, one dollar over the first IRMAA line costs $1,148 in extra Medicare premiums for the year, or $2,297 for a couple who are both on Medicare (CMS amounts). This 5-step checklist shows you how to plan around it. Free from RLF, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
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What you'll get
A printable 5-step framework covering the actual planning math for staying below IRMAA: the rule, the 2026 brackets, and the timing moves that a tax return, which looks backward, does not cover.
- Step 1: Understand the 2-year lookback (most retirees don't)The income that determines your 2026 Medicare premium was earned in 2024. Most people don't connect the timing.
- Step 2: Map the 2026 IRMAA bracket cliffsThe single and joint thresholds, the surcharge amount at each cliff, and the math on what crossing one actually costs per year.
- Step 3: Calculate your bracket headroomThe math: how much more income you can take in THIS year before triggering an IRMAA surcharge TWO years from now.
- Step 4: Plan your taxable eventsRoth conversions, capital gains harvests, and large IRA withdrawals, and when to do them versus when to wait.
- Step 5: Use life-changing-event forms (when they apply)Form SSA-44 can reverse an IRMAA surcharge if your income drops due to retirement, death of a spouse, or other qualifying events.
Plus the bracket cheat-sheet: single and joint 2026 IRMAA brackets on one printable page, with the dollar surcharge at each level so you can see exactly what each cliff costs.
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2026 IRMAA brackets included
Workshop-tested framework
