What are the 2025 IRMAA income brackets for Medicare Part B and Part D?
Executive summary
For 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and CMS apply IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) to Medicare Parts B and D using your 2023 modified adjusted gross income (MAGI); the surcharge kicks in for individual filers with MAGI over $106,000 and joint filers over $212,000 and rises on a sliding scale across multiple brackets up to top thresholds commonly cited at $500,000 (individual) and $750,000 (joint) [1] [2] [3]. CMS and major advisers confirm that the same IRMAA brackets apply to both Part B and Part D and that the surcharge amounts are added to the standard 2025 Part B premium of $185 [4] [1] [5].
1. What IRMAA is, and how 2025’s rule works
IRMAA is a Medicare premium surcharge based on MAGI from two years prior; for 2025 that means the SSA reviews 2023 tax returns to determine whether and how much extra you pay on Parts B and D [1] [2]. CMS notes these income-related adjustments have applied since 2007 and affect a minority of beneficiaries — broadly described as roughly 7–8% for Part B in recent reporting [6] [7].
2. The income thresholds that trigger IRMAA in 2025
Multiple sources identify the base thresholds for 2025 as $106,000 for individual filers and $212,000 for married couples filing jointly (with the same $106,000 threshold applying to single filers and to those married filing separately in many write-ups) — once your 2023 MAGI exceeds those amounts you will face a higher Part B and/or Part D premium depending on which bracket you fall into [2] [5] [7].
3. How the surcharge scale behaves (sliding brackets and top caps)
Commentary from financial media and advisory sites describes IRMAA as a sliding scale with five income brackets above the initial threshold, with top bracket cutoffs cited at $500,000 for single filers and $750,000 for joint filers in 2025; surcharges grow across those brackets and produce total Part B premiums ranging widely depending on income [3] [2]. CMS’s fact sheet confirms CMS publishes the Part B total premium amounts for high-income beneficiaries but the exact bracket-by-bracket surcharge table appears in SSA/CMS tables referenced by those summaries [6].
4. Dollars: premiums and typical surcharge ranges quoted
The standard Part B premium for most people is $185 per month in 2025; sources cite total Part B premiums for high‑income beneficiaries ranging from mid‑hundreds up to several hundred dollars more depending on bracket, with commonly reported IRMAA surcharge ranges producing total Part B premiums roughly between $259 and $629 in 2025 on some advisories [4] [5] [3]. Available sources do not publish a single definitive line-by-line bracket table in the excerpts provided here — they point to SSA/CMS releases and third‑party summaries for the detailed numbers [6] [1].
5. Practical impacts and who’s affected
Analysts estimate IRMAA affects roughly 5–8% of beneficiaries (millions of people) depending on which program is counted (Part B vs Part D) and reporting method; about 5.1 million reportedly paid Part B IRMAA in 2025 per one compiled account and about 4.4 million paid Part D IRMAA [7]. That shows IRMAA is significant for planning but remains a surcharge on a minority of enrollees [6] [7].
6. Appeals, life‑changing events and planning levers
If your income falls because of a qualifying life event (divorce, death of spouse, work reduction, etc.) you can ask SSA to redetermine your IRMAA by filing Form SSA‑44; advisers also note year‑of‑sale/tax planning (Roth conversions, timing capital gains) can affect future IRMAA because it’s based on past MAGI [8] [3] [1].
7. Sources, disagreements and limitations in the record
Official CMS/SSA documents and third‑party financial outlets agree on the core facts: 2025 IRMAA uses 2023 MAGI, base trigger levels near $106,000 individual/$212,000 joint, and a multi‑bracket sliding scale up to high‑income caps [6] [1] [2]. Differences in reporting appear only in presentation details and in exact dollar amounts for each bracket in summarized articles; the precise bracket cutoffs and surcharge dollar amounts are published by SSA/CMS and referenced by these summaries but are not reproduced in full in every secondary source cited here [6] [2] [3]. If you need the exact bracket table (each MAGI range and the exact Part B and Part D surcharge amounts), consult the CMS fact sheet or SSA tables directly as CMS says those tables are available in their published materials [6].
If you want, I can extract the SSA/CMS bracket table and list every MAGI band and the exact Part B and Part D surcharge dollars — tell me whether you want the government table (CMS/SSA) or a summarized version from a financial adviser’s write‑up, and I will pull the detailed figures next.