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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesMedicare does not automatically take away your Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The COLA increases your gross Social Security benefit, while Medicare premiums and other deductions are subtracted afterward. For 2026, Social Security’s COLA is 2.8%, but the increase in your actual deposit can be smaller—or, in some cases, eliminated—depending on your Part B premium, any income-related surcharge, whether the premium is withheld from Social Security, and other deductions on your notice.
Gross benefit and net deposit are two different numbers
Your Social Security benefit is adjusted first. For 2026, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced a 2.8% COLA. That percentage applies to the benefit amount before deductions. Medicare Part B premiums are a separate charge. Many beneficiaries authorize SSA to withhold the premium from their monthly Social Security payment, while others receive a separate Medicare bill.
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The amount that reaches your bank account is therefore a net figure:
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Net Social Security payment = gross benefit after COLA − Part B deduction − other deductions.
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Other deductions can include a Part D income-related adjustment, federal tax withholding, overpayment recovery, or a voluntary insurance deduction. Consequently, there is no single “net COLA” that applies to everyone. Two people receiving the same percentage increase can see very different changes in their deposits.
The relevant Medicare offset is the change in your own premium, not the entire current premium. If your 2026 Part B premium is $202.90, that does not mean $202.90 is subtracted from your COLA. The comparison is your new premium minus the premium that was deducted previously.
What changes in 2026
The 2.8% Social Security COLA
SSA calculated the 2026 COLA from the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) between the third quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2025. The increase begins with Social Security benefits received in January 2026.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) follows a different payment calendar. The 2026 SSI increase began with the payment issued on December 31, 2025. That earlier date does not change the way Medicare deductions are handled on a Social Security benefit.
The standard Part B premium
The 2026 standard monthly Medicare Part B premium is $202.90, according to the Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ 2026 figures and SSA’s premium information. “Standard” applies when your income does not put you in an income-related adjustment category. Your actual amount can be higher if SSA assesses IRMAA, the income-related monthly adjustment amount.
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Some people do not have a Social Security payment from which to withhold the premium. SSA says a separate bill can apply when you do not receive Social Security or when the Medicare premium is greater than your Social Security payment.
How a premium can offset a COLA
Suppose your gross Social Security benefit rises because of the 2.8% COLA. If your Part B deduction also rises, the larger deduction reduces the increase in your deposit. In a simple comparison, the direct Part B offset is:
New Part B deduction − old Part B deduction.
Your gross benefit increase may be larger than that offset, roughly equal to it, or smaller than it. The result depends on your benefit size and the premium change. A person with a relatively small benefit can have most of the COLA absorbed by a premium increase, while someone with a larger benefit may retain more of the adjustment.
IRMAA can make the offset substantially larger because it adds an income-based amount to the standard Part B premium and can also add an adjustment to Part D costs. The Part D plan premium itself varies by plan, so it cannot be inferred from the Part B table.
Standard Part B versus IRMAA in 2026
SSA generally uses the most recent federal tax return supplied by the Internal Revenue Service. For a 2026 IRMAA decision, that is usually the return filed in 2025 for tax year 2024. If 2024 information is unavailable, SSA says it may use 2023 data instead.
For most individual filing statuses, higher Part B premiums begin when modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is above $109,000. For married couples filing jointly, the corresponding starting threshold is above $218,000. The amounts in the table are total monthly Part B premiums, including the standard premium and the IRMAA adjustment—not just the surcharge.
| Filing status | MAGI used for 2026 determination | Total monthly Part B premium |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $109,000 or less | $202.90 standard premium |
| Individual | Above $109,000 through $137,000 | $284.10 |
| Individual | Above $137,000 through $171,000 | $405.80 |
| Individual | Above $171,000 through $205,000 | $527.50 |
| Individual | Above $205,000 through $500,000 | $649.20 |
| Individual | $500,000 or more | $689.90 |
| Married filing jointly | $218,000 or less | $202.90 standard premium |
| Married filing jointly | Above $218,000 through $274,000 | $284.10 |
| Married filing jointly | Above $274,000 through $342,000 | $405.80 |
| Married filing jointly | Above $342,000 through $410,000 | $527.50 |
| Married filing jointly | Above $410,000 through $750,000 | $649.20 |
| Married filing jointly | $750,000 or more | $689.90 |
Married people who file separately and lived with a spouse during part of the tax year can fall into different, higher IRMAA bands. The specific amounts depend on the applicable SSA table and are not represented by the individual or joint rows above.
When hold-harmless protection applies
SSA describes the “hold harmless provision” as protection against a reduction in a Social Security benefit payment caused by an increase in the Part B premium. For an eligible beneficiary, SSA can limit the Part B deduction so that the January payment after the deduction is at least as high as the December payment after the deduction.
The protection is not a guarantee that you keep the entire COLA as spendable cash. It addresses a decrease in the net Social Security payment caused by the Part B premium increase. Other deductions can still change your deposit, and an income-related charge can place you outside the protection.
Basic eligibility conditions
SSA’s public explanation generally requires that you were receiving, or entitled to, Social Security benefits for November and December and that your Part B premium was deducted from those monthly benefits. The policy is designed for people already paying Part B through Social Security withholding, not every Medicare enrollee.
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Important exclusions
- First-time Part B enrollment: People enrolling in Part B for the first time generally are not protected by hold harmless for that premium increase.
- IRMAA payers: Beneficiaries paying an income-related Part B amount are generally excluded.
- Medicaid-paid premiums: People whose state Medicaid agency pays the Part B premium are generally excluded.
Because eligibility depends on your benefit entitlement, withholding arrangement, and exclusion status, a notice showing a higher premium does not by itself establish whether hold harmless should apply. SSA’s policy manual and public explanation govern the determination.
How to calculate what happened to your own payment
This worksheet organizes your figures; it is not a substitute for an SSA determination or individualized financial advice. Use the amounts on your COLA notice or benefit statement rather than an assumed average benefit.
- Find your old gross Social Security benefit. Use the monthly benefit before Medicare, tax, or other deductions.
- Find your new gross benefit after the 2.8% COLA. The COLA percentage is fixed for 2026, but the dollar increase depends on your benefit amount.
- Record the old Part B deduction. Use the amount actually withheld from a prior check, not a published standard premium unless that was your deduction.
- Record the new Part B deduction. Check whether it is the $202.90 standard amount or a higher IRMAA total.
- Subtract the premium change from the gross increase. This shows the portion of the COLA remaining after the direct Part B offset, before other deductions.
- Compare every other line item. Check Part D IRMAA, federal withholding, overpayment recovery, and any voluntary deductions for changes.
- Compare the final deposits. The difference between your old and new net payments is the practical effect you experienced, but it may reflect more than Medicare alone.
SSA says COLA notices are mailed through December. For most beneficiaries with an online account, the notice is also available in the Message Center of my Social Security. Keep the notice because it identifies the benefit amount, deductions, and any applicable premium decision.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why your check may barely increase—or not increase at all
Your benefit is relatively small
A percentage adjustment produces a smaller dollar increase on a smaller benefit. If the Part B deduction rises by an amount close to that dollar increase, the net payment can move only slightly.
You moved into an IRMAA band
SSA’s use of a prior tax return can produce an IRMAA decision even when your current income is lower. A retirement, sale of property, marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, work stoppage or reduction, or loss of income-producing property can make the tax return used for the decision unrepresentative of your present situation.
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Another deduction changed
A change in tax withholding, an overpayment recovery, or a Part D adjustment can reduce the deposit independently of Part B. Looking only at the headline COLA percentage can make these separate deductions appear to be a Medicare effect.
You are not covered by hold harmless
New Part B enrollees, IRMAA payers, and people whose premiums are paid by Medicaid are among the groups generally excluded from the protection. If an exclusion applies, the ordinary Part B increase can reduce the net payment even when the gross benefit rises.
What to do if your income has fallen
If the tax return SSA used no longer reflects your circumstances, you can ask SSA to reconsider the IRMAA decision. Qualifying life-changing events can include marriage, divorce, the death of a spouse, stopping work, reducing work, or losing income-producing property. A qualifying event does not automatically cancel the surcharge; SSA reviews the event and supporting information before making a new decision.
Follow SSA’s current request process and provide the requested evidence, such as documentation of the life-changing event and an estimate or record of your reduced income. Until SSA issues a revised decision, the amount shown on your notice generally remains the amount used for withholding or billing.
Questions your notice can answer
- Is the COLA missing? Check the gross benefit line. If it increased, the COLA was applied even if the deposit changed little.
- Did Medicare take the whole increase? Compare the old and new Part B deductions. Only the difference is the direct Part B offset; then check other deductions.
- Why is my Part B amount higher than $202.90? The most common explanation is IRMAA based on income and filing status, although your notice should identify the applicable determination.
- Why did my deposit fall? Check hold-harmless eligibility, IRMAA status, new enrollment, Medicaid payment, and every other deduction listed.
The practical takeaway for 2026
The 2.8% COLA increases the gross Social Security benefit beginning with January 2026 benefits. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 per month, while IRMAA can raise the total for beneficiaries whose MAGI exceeds the applicable thresholds. The amount you actually keep depends on your own benefit, the change in your premium, whether the premium is withheld, hold-harmless eligibility, and any other deductions. Use your SSA notice to compare gross benefit, old and new premiums, and all remaining deductions; that is the only reliable way to determine how much of your individual COLA reaches you.
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