When to file IRMAA reduction form after spouse stopped working - 2024 or 2025 Social Security Medicare question

You should file the SSA-44 form now (in 2024) since the life-changing event (work stoppage/retirement) happened in 2024. The IRMAA is typically based on your tax return from 2 years prior, but filing the SSA-44 lets Social Security know your income has significantly decreased due to a qualifying life event. Retirement/work stoppage is definitely one of the qualifying events they recognize. Make sure you have documentation of his last day of work and estimate of your new annual income. Don't wait until 2025 - you want to avoid paying the higher premiums if possible.

You need to file the SSA-44 as soon as possible after the life-changing event occurs. In your case, that's your husband's work stoppage in July 2024. The form asks for your expected income for the year the event occurred. I went through this last year when I retired, and it saved us about $160/month in Medicare premiums. Make sure to attach documentation showing when he stopped working - a letter from his employer is ideal. You can mail it in, but I recommend taking it to your local SSA office in person if possible - that way they can tell you right away if you're missing anything.

I tried calling Social Security SEVEN times about my IRMAA issue last month and NEVER got through!!! Just endless hold times and then disconnects. This system is BROKEN!! I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to a real person at SSA and got my IRMAA question answered in 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me hours of frustration. They connected me directly to an agent who knew exactly how to handle my IRMAA reduction request when my income dropped.

You need to file for 2024. Thats when the event happend. They look at your tax returns from 2 years ago normally but this form lets you tell them about your new situation. My neighbor did this wrong and paid higher premiums for 6 months because she waited.

I went through this exact situation when my husband retired in 2023. Here's what you need to know about the IRMAA process: 1. File the SSA-44 form now (2024) since that's when the life-changing event occurred 2. You'll need documentation showing his work stoppage (termination letter, last pay stub, etc.) 3. You'll need to estimate your joint income for the remainder of 2024 4. The reduction typically applies to the month after you submit the form 5. They'll review your actual income when you file taxes and may adjust again What most people don't realize is that IRMAA is recalculated each year automatically based on your tax returns. The SSA-44 just speeds up the process when you have a sudden income change instead of waiting 2 years for it to be reflected in your tax return data.

To answer the question about whether they verify your income later - yes, they do. SSA gets tax data from the IRS and will adjust your IRMAA up or down based on your actual filed tax return. If your estimate was significantly lower than your actual income, they can charge you the difference retroactively. And to clarify another point - you only need to file the SSA-44 once for each life-changing event. After that, the normal IRMAA determination process takes over again (using your tax return from 2 years prior).

Im confused about this IRMMA thing. Is this for regular social security or just medicare? Im turning 65 next year and trying to figure all this stuff out lol.

Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! I'm going to fill out the SSA-44 form this week and take it to our local office with my husband's termination letter. It's such a relief to know we can potentially avoid the higher Medicare premiums right away instead of waiting until 2025. This forum has been so much more helpful than the official Medicare website!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My husband also had an unexpected job change this year that significantly reduced our income. One thing I learned from my research is that you should also check if your state has any additional Medicare assistance programs. Some states offer help with Medicare premiums for people whose income falls within certain ranges, even if you don't qualify for the federal programs. Also, when you go to the SSA office, ask them about the timeline for when the IRMAA reduction will actually show up on your Medicare premium - in my experience, there can be a delay of a month or two before you see the change reflected in your Medicare billing. It's worth asking so you know what to expect!

Just wanted to add another important point that I learned when I went through this process - make sure to bring multiple forms of documentation if possible. When I filed my SSA-44 after my early retirement, the SSA office was really helpful but they wanted to see both my termination letter AND my final pay stub to verify the exact date my employment ended. Also, if your husband is planning to do any part-time work or consulting in the future, mention that when you fill out the income estimate section. It's better to slightly overestimate your new income than to underestimate it, since they do verify against your actual tax return later. The SSA representative told me that being conservative with your estimates helps avoid any potential overpayment issues down the road.

I went through this exact same situation when my wife retired in 2022. You definitely want to file the SSA-44 form for 2024 since that's when the life-changing event occurred. Here's what I wish I had known: bring copies of EVERYTHING when you go to the SSA office - termination letter, final paystub, and even a printout showing his Social Security benefit amount. The staff was very helpful but thorough about documentation. One thing that caught me off guard was that they asked for our estimated household income for the entire year 2024, not just from the retirement date forward. So make sure you calculate his January-July wages plus your income plus his Social Security for the remaining months. The good news is the premium reduction was retroactive to the month after his retirement, so we got some money back. Also, if you're close to any of the IRMAA income thresholds, it might be worth consulting a tax professional to see if there are any strategies to keep your income just below the next tier.

I'm so glad you asked this question because I'm in almost the exact same situation! My husband's company also went through layoffs this year and he had to retire earlier than planned. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - I had no idea about the SSA-44 form or that you could get IRMAA reductions for life-changing events like this. It sounds like the key points are: file the form now for 2024 (when the event happened), bring multiple forms of documentation to prove the work stoppage, and be conservative but realistic with your income estimates. I'm definitely going to follow your lead and get this paperwork submitted ASAP. Thanks for posting this - you've probably helped a lot of people who are dealing with similar unexpected retirement situations!

One thing I want to add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure to ask about the appeals process when you're at the SSA office. Even though the SSA-44 form should handle your situation, I've heard of cases where the initial decision wasn't what people expected, and there's a specific timeframe for appealing IRMAA determinations if needed. Also, keep detailed records of all your communications with Social Security about this. I learned this the hard way with a different SSA issue - having documentation of who you spoke with, when, and what was discussed can be really valuable if there are any complications later. The IRMAA system can be complex, and sometimes different SSA representatives give slightly different guidance, so having your own paper trail helps ensure consistency. Good luck with your filing - it sounds like you're well-prepared with all the great advice from this thread!

I'm new to Medicare and IRMAA but following this thread closely since I'll be 65 next year. One question I haven't seen addressed - if someone files the SSA-44 form and gets their IRMAA reduced for 2024, does that affect their Medicare premiums for 2025 as well? Or do they automatically go back to using the 2-year-old tax return data (which would be 2023) for determining 2025 premiums? I'm trying to understand if this is a one-time fix or if there are ongoing implications. Also, for those who have been through this process, how long did it typically take from submitting the form to seeing the premium change reflected in your Medicare billing? Thanks for all the helpful information everyone has shared!