As someone new to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who explained IRMAA so clearly! I'm 63 and planning to retire in a few years, and I had no idea about these Medicare premium increases based on income from 2 years prior. This thread is a perfect example of why these discussions are so valuable. I was actually considering selling some stocks next year to pay off my mortgage before retirement, but now I realize I need to think about the timing much more carefully to avoid jumping into higher IRMAA brackets. Does anyone know if there are good resources or calculators to help plan these kinds of transactions? It sounds like spreading sales across multiple years could make a huge difference in avoiding these premium increases.

Welcome to the community! As someone who just went through this exact situation with my parents, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to understand these rules BEFORE making large financial moves. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your mom or aunt have any major life changes coming up (like moving to a nursing home, death of a spouse, etc.), they might qualify for an IRMAA appeal even for investment sales. The SSA considers "life-changing events" that reduce income, and sometimes selling assets is part of restructuring finances after these events. Also, for future planning, consider looking into tax-loss harvesting in December if they have other investments. If they know they'll need to sell something with gains, they can potentially sell losing positions in the same tax year to offset some of the income impact. The 2-year lookback is brutal because by the time you see the Medicare premium increase, it's too late to do anything about that particular year. But at least now you know what to expect and can plan accordingly!

UPDATE: I called my company's payroll department first and they confirmed there might have been a reporting error on their end. They're going to check their records and get back to me. If they did make a mistake, they said they can submit a correction to the SSA directly. Fingers crossed this resolves it without me having to deal with the SSA phone maze!

Great job checking with your employer first! That's definitely the most efficient route. If they did make a reporting error, the W-2c correction should automatically update your SSA records within a few weeks. Just make sure to follow up and check your online statement in a month or two to confirm the correction went through. It's so much easier when the employer can handle it directly rather than you having to navigate the SSA phone system. Hope it gets resolved quickly for you!

If you want to be absolutely certain, you can request a formal determination from SSA. Ask specifically about how your OPERS lump sum distribution impacts the earnings test. Get the response in writing. This protects you if there's ever a question later, as SSA is bound by their formal determination even if it was incorrect (assuming you provided accurate information). For what it's worth, I've handled dozens of cases like yours, and pension distributions are NOT counted as earned income for the earnings test.

I went through something very similar with my state pension system (PERS) a few years ago. The key thing to understand is that OPERS distributions are NOT wages - they're pension payments from contributions you and your employer made during your working years. SSA is very clear that only wages and self-employment income count toward the earnings test. Since you're so close to FRA (congratulations on almost making it!), even in the unlikely event there was some confusion, you'd only be looking at a potential issue for about 3 weeks. But honestly, based on everything I've seen and experienced, you have nothing to worry about. One tip: when you do get through to SSA, ask them specifically about "pension distributions vs. wages for earnings test purposes" - using their exact terminology helps ensure you get the right answer. Keep records of your OPERS statement showing it was a pension distribution, not wages. You've got this! Just a few more weeks until that earnings test is behind you forever!

As someone who went through a similar earnings limit situation last year, I want to reassure you that this is more common than you think and SSA has processes in place to handle it. The key is persistence and documentation. A few practical suggestions: Try calling the SSA number at exactly 8:00 AM when they open - I found Tuesday and Wednesday mornings tend to have slightly lower call volumes. If you still can't get through, consider sending a certified letter to your local office with your SSN, explanation of the situation, and copies of your pay stubs showing the increased earnings. You mentioned setting aside benefit payments - that's actually smart. While they likely won't demand everything back at once, having some funds available gives you peace of mind. Based on your $5,800 overage, expect roughly a $241/month reduction in future benefits rather than a complete stoppage. Most importantly, the fact that you're proactively trying to report this works heavily in your favor. SSA agents appreciate when beneficiaries are upfront about changes rather than waiting for them to discover it during their annual wage matching process. Keep that documentation log you're creating - it will be invaluable if any issues arise later!

I went through something very similar last year when my part-time work income unexpectedly increased. The anxiety is completely understandable, but try not to panic! A few things that helped me: First, I had success getting through to SSA by calling right at 8:00 AM on a Tuesday - the wait was still about 45 minutes but much better than the 2+ hours later in the day. Second, while waiting to get through, I documented everything - dates I called, screenshots of my online messages, copies of my pay stubs showing the increased earnings. When I finally spoke to an agent, they were actually very helpful and understanding. They calculated that my benefits would be reduced by about $200/month for the remainder of the year rather than stopping them completely. Since you're $5,800 over the $23,400 limit, your situation sounds very similar to mine. The agent also told me that proactive reporting (which you're doing) always works in your favor if there are any complications later. Keep trying to reach them, but know that this is a manageable situation that happens to thousands of people every year. You're doing everything right by trying to report it promptly!

Perfect, thanks again! I feel much better understanding how this works now. I appreciate everyone taking time to explain.

One thing that might help your ex-wife plan ahead is knowing that she can get an estimate of her potential benefits through her my Social Security account on ssa.gov. The system will show her both her own retirement benefit estimate and what she could potentially receive as a divorced spouse benefit based on your record (once you're eligible). This can help her make an informed decision about when to claim. Also, if she does remarry in the future, she would lose the ability to claim on your record, but she could then potentially claim on her new spouse's record instead if that marriage lasts at least 10 years.