(over)
Medicare Annual Verification Notices: Frequently Asked Questions
Medicare Annual Verication Notices:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did I receive another letter about my
income-related monthly adjustment amounts
for Medicare premiums for this year?
You received another letter from Social Security
because your income-related monthly adjustment
amounts for this year changed. Social Security
usually uses two-year-old data that the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) provides to us to determine
your income-related monthly adjustment amounts. In
some situations, we use three-year-old data, or we
base our decision on tax information you provided.
We use your modied adjusted gross income (MAGI)
from your federal income tax return to determine your
income-related monthly adjustment amounts. Your
MAGI is the total of your adjusted gross income and
tax-exempt interest income.
Each fall, when we ask the IRS for information to
determine next year’s premiums, we ask for tax
information to verify your reports of changes affecting
your income-related monthly adjustment amounts, if
any. We also ask the IRS for your two-year-old MAGI
if we’ve temporarily used three-year-old MAGI. When
we nd a difference between the IRS information and
information we previously used, and the difference
results in a change in your income-related monthly
adjustment amounts, we notify you of the change.
Can I appeal my income-related monthly
adjustment amounts?
Yes. If we determine you must pay more for your
Medicare Part B or Medicare prescription drug
coverage because of your income, and you disagree,
you have the right to request an appeal, also
known as a reconsideration. You’ll need to request
an appeal in writing by completing a Request for
Reconsideration (SSA-561-U2). You can do one of
the following:
• Find the appeal form online at
www.ssa.gov/forms.
• Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213
(TTY 1-800-325-0778) to request an appeal form.
• Request an appointment with your local Social
Security ofce, if you need help completing the form.
If your income has gone down due to specic
situations, or if you led an amended tax return, you
can ask for a new decision without having to le an
appeal. Visit our webpage, Medicare Premiums:
Rules for Higher-Income Beneciaries, for more
details about requesting a new decision. You don’t
have to le an appeal to get a new decision. For
more information about how to appeal your income-
related monthly adjustment amount, please read
Social Security’s publication, Medicare Premiums:
What You Can Do If You Think Your Income-Related
Premium Is Incorrect (SSA Publication No. 05-10125).
When will I get my refund?
If you got a letter from Social Security notifying you
that you’d be getting a refund of the income-related
monthly adjustment amounts, you should receive
your refund within 30 days of receipt of your letter.
If 30 days have passed from the date of your notice,
and you haven’t received your refund, please call us
at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or visit
your local Social Security ofce.
Can I appeal Social Security’s decision
about the past-due income-related monthly
adjustment amount I owe?
Yes, you can appeal the decision. You can call us
at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), and we’ll
send you a Request for Reconsideration (Form SSA-
561-U2). When you call, we’ll tell you what proofs
you should submit with your appeal request. If you
need help completing the form, you can schedule an
appointment with your local Social Security ofce.
I don’t agree with the tax information the IRS
gave Social Security. Can I bring in a copy of
my tax return?
If you don’t agree with the tax information the IRS
gave us, you’ll need to provide proof that you have
more accurate information. Acceptable proof is:
• Your amended tax return, along with a letter from
the IRS accepting your amended return or an
IRS transcript.
SSA.gov
• A letter or statement from the IRS stating they
have corrected your tax information and explaining
the correction.
• A copy of your led tax return and an IRS transcript.
• Your copy of your tax return that shows an
obvious IRS transcription error in tax-exempt
interest income.
• Your declaration under penalty of perjury that you
lived apart from your spouse for the entire year
when you led your income tax return as “married
ling separately.”
If I owe a past-due income-related monthly
adjustment amount, can I pay the amount I
owe by installments?
Yes, anyone who owes money on their Medicare
premiums for previous months and who can’t pay it
in a lump sum, can pay by installments. If you wish to
pay by installments, please call us at 1-800-772-1213
(TTY 1-800-325-0778), or visit your local Social
Security ofce.
My income has gone down. I don’t have to
pay an income-related monthly adjustment
amount next year, but I owe an income-
related monthly adjustment amount for this
year. I can’t aord to pay the money back. Can
you waive what I owe?
You may request a waiver of an income-related
monthly adjustment amount if you’re without fault
and paying the Medicare premiums would cause
you severe nancial hardship. If you wish to
request a waiver, please call us at 1-800-772-1213
(TTY 1-800-325-0778), or visit your local Social
Security ofce.
I received a notice telling me I must pay
higher Medicare premiums next year based
on my income from two years ago. However,
I got a divorce this year in December, and my
income has gone down. What can I do?
We may be able to make a new decision on your
future Medicare Part B and Medicare prescription
drug coverage income-related monthly adjustment
amounts. We can make a new decision if any
life-changing event causing the reduction in modied
adjusted gross income occurred in the last three
months of a calendar year, and we receive the
request for a new decision by March 31 of the
following year. You’ll need to request a new decision,
and provide proof of your divorce (or other life-
changing event) and tax information for the next year.
Examples of life-changing events include:
• You married, divorced, your marriage was
annulled, or you became widowed.
• You or your spouse stopped working or reduced
work hours.
• You or your spouse lost income-producing
property due to a disaster or other event beyond
your control.
• You or your spouse experienced a scheduled
cessation, termination, or reorganization of an
employer’s pension plan.
• You or your spouse received a settlement from
an employer or former employer because of the
employer’s closure, bankruptcy, or reorganization.
If you want to report a life-changing event, call us at
1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or visit your
local Social Security ofce.
Contacting Social Security
The most convenient way to do business with us from
anywhere with any device is to visit www.ssa.gov to
get information and use our online services.
Or, call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 or at
1-800-325-0778 (TTY) if you’re deaf or hard of
hearing. We can answer your call from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m., weekdays. You can also use our automated
services via telephone, 24 hours a day. We look
forward to serving you.
To learn more about Medicare Part B or Medicare
prescription drug coverage, visit www.medicare.gov,
or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY
1-877-486-2048).
Social Security Administration
Publication No. 05-10507
November 2020 (Recycle prior editions.)
Medicare Annual Verification Notices: Frequently Asked Questions
Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense
