Medicare Part B premiums: Will SS automatically stop bank withdrawals when I start collecting retirement?

This happened to me last year! You definitely need to call Medicare directly to stop the automatic withdrawals. They don't automatically stop when SSA starts taking the premium from your Social Security. I ended up double-paying for 2 months before I realized what was happening, and it was a hassle to get reimbursed. Call 1-800-MEDICARE as soon as possible and tell them you're now having premiums deducted from SS benefits. Have your Medicare number ready when you call.

my sister went thru this exact thing!!! they took $ from her bank AND her ss check for 3 MONTHS before she caught it!! the medicare people acted like it happens all the time, smh

To add to what others have said, this is a classic case of government agencies not communicating with each other effectively. Here's what you need to know: 1. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are separate entities that don't automatically sync their payment systems. 2. When you start receiving Social Security benefits, SSA will automatically begin deducting your Part B premium from your monthly benefit. 3. However, Medicare won't automatically stop your existing bank withdrawals unless you specifically request it. 4. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) as soon as possible to stop the bank withdrawals. 5. Keep documentation of all payments made, as you'll need to request a refund for any double payments. 6. The refund process typically takes 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer. I've helped several clients navigate this exact situation. It's frustrating but fixable!

I know you're frustrated. I've been trying to reach SSA about my Medicare Part D issues for WEEKS and can't get through. The hold times are insane and I keep getting disconnected. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) after my neighbor recommended it. They got me connected to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU if you're curious. Saved me hours of frustration - might help you too if you need to talk to someone at SSA about the Medicare premium situation.

EXACT SAME THING happened when my husband started getting SS last year!! We paid DOUBLE for Medicare for THREE MONTHS and it took SIX MONTHS to get our money back!!! The government is SO INEFFICIENT! Why can't these agencies talk to each other??? Makes me FURIOUS how they handle OUR MONEY!!

The transition between direct Medicare premium payments and having them deducted from your Social Security benefits requires specific action on your part. Here's what I recommend: 1. Contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 2. Inform them you're now receiving Social Security benefits and want to stop direct premium payments 3. Ask for confirmation in writing that your payment method has been updated 4. Request reimbursement for any duplicate payments (the April payment you mentioned) 5. Record the date, time and name of the representative you speak with After you've contacted Medicare, verify on your next Social Security statement (viewable in your my Social Security account online) that the Medicare premium is being deducted correctly. The coordination between these two federal programs should be seamless, but unfortunately it requires beneficiary intervention.

i had this same problem!!!!! i paid double for like 3 months and then had to wait forever to get my money back....so annoying

As an update to my previous comment - when you call Medicare, make sure you specifically request a refund for any duplicate payments. They processed my refund as a paper check rather than direct deposit, so watch your mail carefully after you make the request. And just to prepare you, the hold times when calling can be really long. I waited almost an hour when I called, so try to call early in the day if possible.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm about to go through the same transition in a few months when I start my Social Security benefits. Reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) Call Medicare proactively to stop bank withdrawals, 2) Keep detailed records of all payments and conversations, 3) Be prepared for long hold times, and 4) Watch for paper refund checks in the mail. It's ridiculous that this coordination issue is so common - you'd think after all these years they'd have a better system in place. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the detailed steps from Diego and Anastasia!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just started my Social Security benefits in March and got hit with the double payment too. Called Medicare yesterday and they confirmed what everyone else is saying - you absolutely have to call them directly to stop the bank withdrawals. The representative told me it's one of their most common calls, which is pretty sad that this coordination problem is so widespread. She said my refund should come as a paper check in 6-8 weeks. Pro tip: when you call, have your Social Security number, Medicare number, and bank account info ready - they'll ask for all of it to verify your identity and process the payment method change. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's really helpful to know I'm not alone in dealing with this bureaucratic mess!

I'm in the exact same boat and this thread is a lifesaver! I just started collecting SS in March after turning 67, and sure enough - got double-charged for my Part B premium this month. Reading everyone's experiences, it's clear this is way more common than it should be. I'm planning to call Medicare tomorrow morning with all my documentation ready. One question for those who've been through this - did anyone have issues with Medicare initially claiming they couldn't find your account or that the change couldn't be processed? I've heard some horror stories about having to call multiple times. Also, for the refund process, did anyone get charged any fees by their bank when the refund check was deposited? Just trying to prepare for all possibilities. Thanks again everyone for sharing your real experiences - this community is so much more helpful than the official government resources!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm currently 64 and planning to start my Social Security benefits next year while I'm already on Medicare Part B (paying through bank withdrawal). I had absolutely no idea this coordination problem existed between SSA and Medicare - you'd think in 2025 these agencies would have figured out how to communicate with each other automatically! Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm going to proactively call Medicare the moment my SS benefits start to avoid the double-payment nightmare. It's shocking that this is such a widespread issue that Medicare reps deal with it daily. I'm also going to set up calendar reminders to check my bank statements carefully during the transition period and keep detailed records of every payment and conversation. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical information that's missing from the official government websites. I'm bookmarking this thread to reference when I go through this process myself!

This is exactly why I love this community - you're all sharing the real experiences that the government websites never tell you about! I'm 66 and just applied for my Social Security benefits to start next month. I've been paying my Medicare Part B premiums through automatic bank withdrawal for over a year now, and my SSA representative mentioned during the application process that they'd start deducting it from my benefits. But they never warned me about this coordination issue! Reading through everyone's stories here, it's clear I need to be proactive. I'm going to call Medicare the day my first SS payment is scheduled to hit my account and specifically request they stop the bank withdrawals. I'll have all my numbers ready (SS, Medicare, bank account) and ask for written confirmation of the change. It's absolutely ridiculous that in 2025, two federal agencies can't coordinate something this basic automatically. But thanks to all of you sharing your experiences, at least I won't be caught off guard like so many others have been. I'm also going to set up alerts on my bank account to watch for any double charges during the transition period. This thread should be required reading for anyone approaching retirement! Thank you all for taking the time to share your real-world experiences and practical tips.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Just turned 66 and started my Social Security benefits in March, and like clockwork - got hit with the double Medicare premium payment this month. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring that I'm not alone in this bureaucratic mess. I called Medicare yesterday using the 1-800-MEDICARE number that everyone mentioned, and the representative confirmed what you've all been saying - this is literally one of their most frequent calls. She was able to stop my bank withdrawals immediately and initiated the refund process for the duplicate payment. She warned me it would be a paper check in 6-8 weeks, just like others have mentioned. What really struck me during the call was when she said "Oh, another Social Security transition case" before I even finished explaining my situation. The fact that this is such a routine problem for them really highlights how broken the coordination between SSA and CMS is. You'd think after decades of people retiring and transitioning to Medicare, they'd have figured out how to sync their systems automatically. For anyone still going through this - definitely call as soon as possible. The rep told me that waiting longer just makes the refund process more complicated because they have to track down more months of duplicate payments. Also, make sure to ask for a confirmation number for both the payment method change AND the refund request. I got both and wrote them down immediately. Thanks to this community for preparing me for exactly what to expect during the call. The real-world advice here is worth its weight in gold!

I'm new to this community but had to jump in because I'm going through this EXACT situation right now! Just started my SS benefits this month at age 67 and got double-charged for Medicare Part B like so many of you. What's really frustrating is that during my SSA phone interview, the representative never once mentioned that I'd need to proactively contact Medicare to stop the bank withdrawals - they made it sound like everything would automatically coordinate. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring (I'm not alone!) and infuriating (how is this still such a widespread problem in 2025?). The fact that Medicare reps immediately recognize this as a "transition case" shows just how broken the system is between these agencies. I'm calling Medicare first thing Monday morning armed with all the advice from this thread - SS number, Medicare number, bank account info ready, asking for confirmation numbers, and requesting written documentation of the changes. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in navigating bureaucratic failures just to avoid paying twice for the same service. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this thread is infinitely more helpful than any official government resource I've found!

I'm currently going through this transition myself and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm 65, started Medicare Part B last year while still working, and just began my Social Security benefits this month. Sure enough, I got hit with the double payment too - Medicare took $203 from my bank account AND SSA deducted it from my first SS check. What really bothers me is that this seems to be such a predictable, routine problem that you'd think there would be better coordination by now. I called Medicare this morning using the 1-800-MEDICARE number that everyone recommended, and just like others have mentioned, the rep immediately knew what I was calling about before I finished explaining. She said "Social Security transition?" and I hadn't even gotten that far in my explanation yet! The good news is they were able to stop future bank withdrawals immediately and started the refund process for this month's duplicate payment. They gave me confirmation numbers for both actions, which I wrote down based on the advice in this thread. The rep said to expect a paper refund check in 6-8 weeks. For anyone else dealing with this - definitely call sooner rather than later. The Medicare rep mentioned that the longer you wait, the more complicated it gets to unravel multiple months of duplicate payments. Also, have your Social Security benefit start date handy when you call - they'll ask for it to verify when the SSA deductions began. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - it made the whole process much less stressful knowing exactly what to expect!

I'm about to turn 65 next month and will be starting Medicare Part B while continuing to work for another year before taking Social Security. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea this coordination issue existed! It sounds like when I do eventually start my SS benefits, I'll need to immediately call Medicare to stop any bank withdrawals to avoid the double payment nightmare that so many of you have experienced. One question for those who've been through this - is there any advantage to setting up the Medicare Part B payments through Social Security deduction from the very beginning when you first enroll in Medicare, even if you're not taking SS benefits yet? Or do you have to be actively receiving benefits for that option to be available? I'm wondering if there's a way to avoid the bank withdrawal setup altogether and prevent this coordination issue from happening in the first place. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed, real-world experiences - this thread should honestly be required reading for anyone approaching Medicare and Social Security eligibility!