09/04/2026
Timeline for Retirees Approaching 65
If you’re getting close to age 65, here’s something most people don’t realize:
Medicare doesn’t look at this year’s income — it looks TWO YEARS BACK.
That means your income at 63 determines your Medicare premiums at 65.
Here’s the simple timeline:
Age 63: Income decisions happen — IRA withdrawals, Roth conversions, capital gains, working income, etc.
Age 64: Social Security reviews that income.
Age 65: You enroll in Medicare… and your IRMAA surcharge kicks in if your income was too high two years earlier.
This is why planning before 65 is so important.
A single high‑income year — even unintentionally — can increase your Medicare premiums by hundreds or thousands.
The good news?
With smart planning, you can often reduce or avoid IRMAA entirely.
If you’re 60–65 and want to see where you stand, message me for a free IRMAA Impact Review. It’s one of the simplest ways to protect your retirement income.
If you want, I can also create:
A shorter version for Instagram
A more urgent version for people already at 64
A version focused on Roth conversions and IRMAA
Just tell me which one you want next. to happen to you