If a major life event lowered your income, you can ask Social Security to reduce or remove your IRMAA surcharge using Form SSA-44, even if your two-year-old tax return still shows higher income.
Social Security accepts an appeal only when one of these eight life-changing events lowered your income.
You got married, changing how your income is counted.
Your marriage legally ended.
Your spouse passed away and your income is now lower.
You retired or stopped working. The most common reason.
You cut your hours or moved to part-time.
Income-producing property was lost to disaster or similar events.
A pension you relied on stopped or was reduced.
A former employer's closure affected your pension income.
Not one of these? A simple drop in investment income usually will not qualify. See the questions below.
Match your situation to one of the eight events above. Social Security only reduces IRMAA when the reason fits.
Collect documents that show the event and your lower income, such as a retirement letter, death certificate, or marriage or divorce certificate.
Work out the income you now expect. The calculator can show which bracket your new estimate falls into.
Enter your event, the date it happened, and your estimated income. Sign the form and keep your originals.
Mail the signed form and documents to your local office, or bring them in person. Confirm current options at SSA.gov.
Social Security reviews your request and mails a decision. If approved, your premiums are adjusted.
Form SSA-44 is published and processed by the Social Security Administration. IRMAA Hub is independent, is not affiliated with the SSA, and does not file the form for you. Always download the current form from the official source.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Form SSA-44 and publication 05-10536, "Medicare Premiums: Rules for Higher-Income Beneficiaries." Always confirm details at SSA.gov. Last verified June 2026.