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Medicare Part B costs $202.90 a month in 2026 for most people. CMS released that figure on November 14, 2025, and it is up $17.90 from the $185.00 standard premium in 2025. If you collect Social Security, the premium usually comes straight out of your check, so the increase shows up as a smaller deposit in January whether you planned for it or not.
That $202.90 is the standard rate. It applies if your modified adjusted gross income was $109,000 or less as a single filer, or $218,000 or less filing jointly, on your 2024 tax return. Above those lines, you pay an income-related surcharge called IRMAA, and the premium climbs in steps. This guide walks through each step, the deductible that comes with Part B, and the situations where your premium can be lower than the standard rate.
What Part B covers, and why everyone pays for it
Part B is medical insurance. It pays for doctor visits, outpatient hospital care, lab work, durable medical equipment, preventive services, and a long list of other care that happens outside a hospital admission. Part A covers inpatient hospital stays and is premium-free for most people. Part B has no premium-free version. If you want Medicare to pay your doctor bills, you pay the monthly premium.
You also pay an annual deductible before Part B starts sharing costs. For 2026 the deductible is $283, up from $257 in 2025. After the deductible, Medicare generally pays 80% of the approved amount for covered services and you pay 20%. Original Medicare puts no yearly cap on that 20%, which is why so many people pair Part B with a Medigap policy or choose Medicare Advantage instead. Our overview of how much Medicare costs in 2026 adds up all four parts if you want the full bill in one place.
The 2026 premium at each income level
Social Security determines your premium using the tax return from two years earlier. Your 2026 premium is based on your 2024 income. Here is the full table from CMS for 2026:
- $109,000 or less single / $218,000 or less joint: $202.90 a month, no surcharge
- $109,001 to $137,000 single / $218,001 to $274,000 joint: $284.10 a month
- $137,001 to $171,000 single / $274,001 to $342,000 joint: $405.80 a month
- $171,001 to $205,000 single / $342,001 to $410,000 joint: $527.50 a month
- $205,001 to $499,999 single / $410,001 to $749,999 joint: $649.20 a month
- $500,000 or more single / $750,000 or more joint: $689.90 a month
Two things about this table catch people off guard. First, the brackets work like cliffs. A joint return at $218,000 pays the standard premium. A joint return at $218,001 pays $284.10 a month for each spouse on Medicare, which is $1,948.80 more per couple over a year, triggered by one extra dollar of income two years earlier. Second, the surcharge applies per person. Couples where both spouses are on Medicare pay it twice.
IRMAA also adds a surcharge to Part D drug coverage, from $14.50 a month in the first bracket up to $91.00 a month at the top. We cover the appeal process and the income-planning side in our guides to Medicare IRMAA surcharges in 2026 and IRMAA and retirement income.
How you actually pay it
Most beneficiaries never write a check. Social Security deducts the Part B premium from your monthly benefit, and if you owe IRMAA, that comes out of the same check. If you have delayed Social Security, Medicare bills you quarterly instead, and the bill covers three months at once. At the standard rate that is $608.70 per quarter. People are often surprised by the size of the first bill because they were expecting a monthly charge.
Railroad retirement beneficiaries have the premium deducted from their railroad benefit. Federal retirees and others not drawing a benefit get billed directly. However you pay, the premium is due whether you see a doctor that month or not. It buys the coverage, not the care.
When the premium can be lower
A few groups pay less than $202.90. The hold harmless rule protects some Social Security recipients from a premium increase larger than their cost-of-living adjustment, so a small number of long-time beneficiaries pay below the standard rate. The rule does not apply to new enrollees, people who pay IRMAA, or people whose premiums are paid by a state program.
The bigger route to a lower bill is a Medicare Savings Program. If your income is modest, your state may pay the Part B premium for you, which is worth $2,434.80 a year at the 2026 standard rate. The income limits and the four program levels are covered in our guide to Medicare Savings Programs in 2026. Some Medicare Advantage plans also rebate part of the Part B premium, often advertised as a giveback benefit. The rebate varies by plan and county, and it comes with the plan’s network and cost-sharing rules attached.
What to do with these numbers
Start by finding your bracket. Pull your 2024 return, find your modified adjusted gross income (your adjusted gross income plus any tax-exempt interest), and match it to the table above. If you are within a few thousand dollars of a bracket edge, talk to a tax professional before you take a big capital gain, convert a large amount to a Roth IRA, or sell a property, because those moves set your premium two years from now. If your income has dropped since 2024 because you retired, married, divorced, or lost a spouse, you may qualify for a reduction right away through an IRMAA appeal based on a life-changing event.
For budgeting, treat $202.90 per person as the floor for 2026 and add your Part D or Medicare Advantage costs on top. Our retirement budgeting guide for Medicare shows how the pieces add up over a full year.
