2012 Part B Premium Amounts for Persons with Higher Income Levels
Medicare beneficiaries will pay $99.90 in Part B premiums in 2012. Beneficiaries who currently have the Social Security Administration (SSA) withhold their Part
B premium and have incomes of $85,000 or less ($170,000 or less for joint filers) will not have an increase in their Part B premium for 2012. For additional details, see our FAQ titled:
For all others, the standard Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $99.90 in 2012, which is a $15.50 decrease compared to the 2011 premium. If your income is above $85,000 (single) or $170,000 (married couple), then your Medicare Part B premium may be higher than $99.90 per month.
Social Security will use the income reported two years ago on your IRS income tax return to determine your premium (if unavailable, SSA will use income from three years ago). For example,
the income reported on your 2010 tax return will be used to determine your monthly Part B premium in 2012. If your income has decreased since 2010, you can ask that the income from a more recent tax
year be used to determine your premium, but you must meet certain criteria.
The chart below shows the Part B monthly premium amounts based on income. These amounts change each year. There may be a late-enrollment penalty.
| Table 1: Part B Monthly Premium (2012) |
Beneficiaries who file an individual tax return with income |
Beneficiaries who file a joint tax return with income |
| Your 2012 Monthly Premium Is |
If Your Yearly Income Is |
| $99.90 |
$85,000 or less |
$170,000 or less |
| $139.90 |
$85,001-$107,000 |
$170,001-$214,000 |
| $199.80 |
$107,001-$160,000 |
$214,001-$320,000 |
| $259.70 |
$160,001-$214,000 |
$320,001-$428,000 |
| $319.70 |
Above $214,000 |
Above $428,000 |
| Table 2: Part B Monthly Premium Beneficiaries who are married, but file a separate tax return from their spouse and lived with his or her spouse at some
time during the taxable year |
| Your 2012 Monthly Premium is |
Beneficiaries who are married but file a separate tax return from his or her spouse |
| $99.90 |
$85,000 or less |
| $259.70 |
$85,001-$129,000 |
| $319.70 |
Above $129,000 |
If you are having trouble paying your premiums, you should call your State Medical Assistance (Medicaid) office to see if you qualify for some help. Some states refer to the Medicaid office as the Public Aid office, the Public Assistance office, or the State Medical Assistance office.
INCOME RELATED MONTHLY ADJUSTMENT AMOUNT (IRMAA)
The Internal Revenue Service supplies your tax filing status, your adjusted gross income, and your tax-exempt interest income to the Social Security Administration to determine if you have an income related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA). The Social Security Administration will add your adjusted gross income together with your tax-exempt interest income to get an amount called the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI).
The income-related monthly adjustment amount is effective from January 1 through December 31 each calendar year. The Social Security Administration will refigure your Medicare Part B premium amount again next year when the Internal Revenue Service updates the information.
|
Download Request 
