Are Medicare premiums included in Magi?

Asked by: Prof. Garfield Tillman  |  Last update: November 12, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (23 votes)

This is based on your "modified adjusted gross income" (MAGI). Your MAGI is your total adjusted gross income and tax-exempt interest income. If you file your taxes as "married, filing jointly" and your MAGI is greater than $212,000, you'll pay higher premiums for your Part B and Medicare prescription drug coverage.

Do you count Medicare premiums as income?

Monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs of Medicare programs are tax deductible. When a person has a high accumulation of medical expenses, they may wish to itemize them on their tax return.

What is deducted from modified adjusted gross income?

Key Takeaways

Your MAGI (modified adjusted gross income) is your AGI plus certain deductions you must “add back.” These deductions include IRA contributions, student loan interest, one-half of self-employment tax, qualified tuition expenses, and more.

How to reduce magi for Medicare?

You can further minimize your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) by utilizing tax-efficient investments in your plan-vanilla brokerage accounts. In a brokerage account, you pay taxes on interest, dividends, and gains realized in the current year.

Does Magi include health insurance premiums?

Pre-tax deductions — such as health insurance premiums, retirement plan contributions, or flexible spending accounts — are taken out of wages by the employer. Since this income isn't taxed, it doesn't count towards a household's MAGI.

What Types of Income is IRMAA Based on? How to Avoid the Medicare Surcharge

22 related questions found

Is Magi used for Medicare premiums?

We use the most recent federal tax return the IRS provides to us. If you must pay higher premiums, we use a sliding scale to calculate the adjustments. This is based on your "modified adjusted gross income" (MAGI). Your MAGI is your total adjusted gross income and tax-exempt interest income.

What income is not included in magi?

MAGI is adjusted gross income (AGI) plus these, if any: untaxed foreign income, non-taxable Social Security benefits, and tax-exempt interest. For many people, MAGI is identical or very close to adjusted gross income. MAGI doesn't include Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Does everyone have to pay $170 a month for Medicare?

Most people pay no premiums for Part A. For Medicare Part B in 2025, most beneficiaries will pay $185 per month. Certain factors may require you to pay more or less than the standard Medicare Part B premium in 2025.

Does the sale of a house count as income for Medicare premiums?

Home sales.

If your capital gain from the sale of a home exceeds the exclusion amount ($250,000 for individuals, $500,000 for joint filers), it will be treated as taxable income. So, if you made a sizable profit downsizing, it could show up in your IRMAA calculation two years later.

How can I reduce my Magi in retirement?

If you own rental property and experience losses, you may be able to use these losses to offset other income, lowering your MAGI. Tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Contributing to traditional IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred retirement accounts may help lower your taxable income.

How much of Social Security is included in Magi?

Social Security income includes retirement, survivor benefits, and disability payments. For the most part, only taxable sources of income count in determining household MAGI-based income. However, all Social Security income of tax filers is counted, regardless of whether it is taxable or not.

What expenses can be subtracted from adjusted gross income?

From your gross income, subtract certain adjustments such as:
  • Alimony payments.
  • Educator expenses.
  • Certain business expenses – reservists, performing artists, fee-based government officials.
  • Deductible HSA contributions.
  • Deductible IRA contributions.
  • Moving expenses – military only.
  • Deductible self-employment taxes.

Do 401k contributions reduce magi?

While 401(k) contributions reduce your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) since they are made with pre-tax dollars, they are not added back when determining your MAGI. This means your 401(k) contributions lower your AGI and, consequently, your MAGI.

How to calculate magi for Medicare 2024?

Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is the sum of:
  1. the beneficiary's adjusted gross income (AGI) (found on line 11 of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax filing form 1040), plus.
  2. tax-exempt interest income (line 2a of IRS Form 1040).

Can seniors deduct health insurance premiums?

Medical expenses are often one of the largest expenses for retired people. Fortunately, some medical expenses are deductible. These include health insurance premiums (including Medicare premiums), long-term care insurance premiums, prescription drugs, nursing home care, and most other out-of-pocket heath care expenses.

What is magi for Medicare premiums?

Your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which includes total gross income and certain non-taxable Social Security benefits, determines your Medicare premium.

What is the difference between agi and magi?

Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) in the simplest terms is your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) plus a few items—like exempt or excluded income and certain deductions. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses your MAGI to determine your eligibility for certain tax deductions, credits, and retirement savings plans.

How much money can you have in the bank if you're on Medicare?

eligibility for Medi-Cal. For new Medi-Cal applications only, current asset limits are $130,000 for one person and $65,000 for each additional household member, up to 10. Starting on January 1, 2024, Medi-Cal applications will no longer ask for asset information.

Why is Social Security no longer paying Medicare Part B?

There could be several reasons why Social Security stopped withholding your Medicare Part B premium. One common reason is that your income has exceeded the threshold for premium assistance. Another reason could be that there was a mistake or error in your records.

What income is used to determine Medicare premiums in 2024?

Medicare premiums are calculated using your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) from your tax return for two years prior to the current year. For example, if you're paying premiums in 2024, these will be based on your 2022 MAGI.

How do you lower your magi?

Selling taxable investments at a loss can help reduce your MAGI. This is because capital losses offset capital gains, which in turn reduces your total income subject to taxes. The key here is balancing between realizing profits from selling high-performing assets versus claiming losses on underperforming ones.

What income is not included in adjusted gross income?

Sources of money income that are missing from AGI include welfare payments, interest on state and local government bonds, employer-provided contri- butions for health and pension plans, and income on savings through life insurance.

How do I calculate my modified adjusted gross income?

To find your MAGI, take your AGI and add back:
  1. Any deductions you took for IRA contributions and taxable Social Security payments.
  2. Deductions you took for student loan interest.
  3. Tuition and fees deduction.
  4. Half of self-employment tax.
  5. Excluded foreign income.