IRMAA charges on SSDI because of spouse's one-time inheritance withdrawal - any way to appeal?

Thank you so much! I had no idea this form existed. Do you know if we need to have the withdrawal officially documented as being for the house repairs specifically? My husband just took the money out of his 401k and we have all the contractor receipts, but nothing that explicitly connects the two.

Like I mentioned to the original poster, get Form SSA-44 immediately and document the one-time nature of the income. IRMAA applies to all Medicare recipients regardless of age or whether you're on SSDI or regular retirement benefits. The key is showing this was a unique circumstance that doesn't reflect your ongoing ability to pay.

Trying to call SSA directly right now is nearly impossible. Wait times are 2+ hours and most people get disconnected. I've helped several clients with IRMAA appeals recently, and they all struggled to get through. I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an agent quickly instead of waiting on hold all day. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Much less stressful than calling directly, especially with something time-sensitive like an IRMAA appeal.

Yes, you're right - I probably wasn't clear. He inherited the house, but needed money to fix it up before selling. The $85K 401k withdrawal to pay for repairs is what pushed our MAGI over the threshold. The inheritance of the house itself wasn't counted as income.

Actually, that's not entirely true. SSA does have a formal process for appealing IRMAA based on life-changing events, including one-time income situations. The key is properly documenting that the income doesn't represent your ongoing financial situation. Many people successfully appeal these determinations every year.

The SSA-44 life-changing event categories are somewhat limited. For your situation, I'd actually recommend you file a regular IRMAA appeal using the "Request for Reconsideration" (Form SSA-561-U2) instead. On that form, you can explain the unique circumstances in detail rather than trying to fit into a predefined category. Include a cover letter explaining the one-time nature of the withdrawal, its purpose, and why it doesn't reflect your ongoing ability to pay the higher premium. Attach all supporting documentation (withdrawal records, contractor invoices, inheritance documents). This approach gives you more flexibility to explain your specific situation.

Filing separately CAN sometimes help with IRMAA, but it often results in higher overall taxes and has other disadvantages. For married filing separately, the IRMAA threshold starts at just $97,000 in 2025 (compared to $194,000 jointly). Plus you lose many tax benefits. It's usually better to appeal the IRMAA adjustment than change your tax filing status, especially for a one-time situation like this.

Thank you! That's really helpful. I'm gathering all our documentation now - the 401k withdrawal statement, contractor invoices, and a copy of the relevant portion of the will showing the inheritance arrangement. Fingers crossed!

You're right that it's poorly explained. IRMAA applies to anyone on Medicare, regardless of age or whether you qualify through disability or age. The income calculations are based on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) from two years prior. For 2025 IRMAA determinations, they're using your 2023 tax returns. That's why one-time income spikes can affect you two years later, even if your current income is much lower.

Thank you for the kind words! Yes, this whole experience has been a real eye-opener about how complex the Medicare system can be, especially for those of us on SSDI. I never imagined that a financial decision made to help family could come back to affect my healthcare costs two years later. I'm definitely planning to keep everyone updated on how the appeal goes - whether I use the SSA-44 or the SSA-561-U2 approach that Mei suggested. Hopefully our experience can help others who find themselves in similar unexpected situations. It's reassuring to know there's a community here that understands these challenges!

That's really encouraging to hear from someone who's been through a similar situation! The estate management angle is a great point - I hadn't thought about framing it that way, but you're absolutely right that this was essentially forced estate administration rather than discretionary income. We do still have the house on the market (it's been slow going due to its rural location), so I can definitely include the listing agreement and documentation showing it's actively for sale. Your point about emphasizing this doesn't reflect our ongoing income capacity really resonates - our actual monthly income from SSDI hasn't changed at all, it's just this one-time blip from 2023 that's causing havoc in 2025. Thank you for sharing your experience, it gives me hope that the appeal might actually work!