If your goal is to have a stress-free retirement, you should aim to set yourself up with different income streams. Social Security can certainly be one of them. But you should also, ideally, have savings and investments to cover your costs as well.
If you were a higher earner during your career, chances are, you had an opportunity to build up a pretty nice nest egg. And you may also be in line for generous monthly Social Security checks.
But earning too much money from Social Security could actually cost you in a surprising way.
The problem with larger Social Security checks
As of February 2026, the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit was $2,076.41. On an annual basis, that’s about $25,000.
But some retirees are eligible for a lot more money from Social Security. The largest possible monthly benefit in 2026 is $5,181.
Now to get a monthly benefit of $5,181, you need to not only delay your Social Security claim until age 70, but also, earn a very large salary throughout your career. But if that’s the case, instead of Social Security providing you with about $25,000 a year in retirement income, you may be looking at around $62,000 instead.
That’s a great thing in theory. But having too high a retirement income could lead to higher Medicare costs. And that’s a pitfall that could catch you off guard.
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Medicare costs wealthy retirees more money
Medicare enrollees typically pay a premium for Part B that changes from year to year. In 2026, the standard monthly Part B premium is $202.90.
But higher earners don’t necessarily just pay $202.90. A good 8% of seniors enrolled in Medicare Part B face surcharges on those premiums called income-related monthly adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs.
IRMAAs are based on modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) from two years prior. And they can add a lot of money to the cost of Part B.
In 2026, IRMAAs kick in for single tax-filers with a MAGI above $109,000 and married couples filing jointly with a MAGI above $218,000. But these aren’t such high thresholds.
Now, let’s say you’re single and are getting $62,000 a year in Social Security because you qualified for the largest monthly benefit this year. If you withdraw more than $42,000 from your savings or earn more than $42,000 in non-Social Security income a different way, you could get pushed into having to pay more for Medicare.
And it’s not just Part B that might cost you extra. IRMAAs apply to premiums for Part D prescription drug plans, too.
Ways to avoid IRMAAs
IRMAAs can deal a huge blow to higher earners, especially because they increase with income. The highest IRMAA this year is $487 a month, which applies to single Medicare enrollees with a MAGI of $500,000 or more and joint filers with a MAGI of $750,000 or more.
Now $62,000 a year in Social Security isn’t necessarily going to push you into the highest IRMAA tier. But it may push you into a lower one.
The solution? Try to set yourself up with non-Social Security income that doesn’t count toward your MAGI.
Roth IRA withdrawals fall into this category. You can withdraw $200,000 a year from a Roth IRA and your MAGI won’t increase. So it could be wise to do a Roth conversion ahead of retirement if you know you’re in line for a very generous monthly Social Security benefit and you don’t want to get stuck paying more for Medicare because of it.
Convert your savings carefully
That said, Roth conversions have to be done carefully because they count as taxable income and could increase your MAGI. If you’re doing Roth conversions at a time when you’re also enrolled in Medicare, those conversions themselves could leave you paying IRMAAs.
However, in some cases, getting stuck with IRMAAs for a year or two could be worth it if it means avoiding surcharges for many years later. Plus, with a Roth conversion, you avoid taxes when you withdraw from your nest egg. The savings there could outweigh a few years of higher Medicare premiums.
Bottom line
Your retirement plans could easily get thrown off course if your actual expenses are higher than what you’ve budgeted for. And IRMAAs could certainly make Medicare cost more than expected.
This isn’t to say that you should purposely try to shrink your Social Security benefits to reduce your chances of getting stuck with IRMAAs. The point, rather, is to recognize that larger Social Security benefits in retirement could put you at risk of paying more for Medicare. Once you know that, you can take steps to potentially get around IRMAAs and keep your Medicare costs more reasonable.
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Author Details
Maurie Backman
Most retirees will make their Social Security claiming decision exactly once, which is why Maurie Backman has spent more than 20 years helping them understand it. She covers benefit calculations, COLA forecasts, and the policy changes that quietly reshape what retirees receive each month. Her work has appeared in Kiplinger, The Motley Fool, 24/7 Wall St., Bankrate, and U.S. News & World Report.
