If you get Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits, your
will get deducted automatically from your benefit payment.
If you don't get benefits, you'll get a bill to pay your premiums for:
- Part B (Medical Insurance)
- - if you buy it
- Part D income-related monthly adjustment amount (Part D IRMAA) - an extra amount you pay in addition to your Part D plan premium, if your income is above a certain amount
- I need help paying my premiums
-
If you’re having trouble paying your premiums now or if you have any questions about your Medicare premium bill, call us at 1-800-MEDICARE. TTY: 1-877-486-2048. If you have limited income and resources, your state may help pay your Medicare premiums. You may also qualify for Extra Help to pay for your Part D drug coverage.
- I'm a federal retiree and want to have my premiums deducted from my annuity
-
You can request to have your Part B premiums deducted from your Office of Personnel Management (OPM) annuity as long as you're NOT entitled to Social Security or RRB benefits.
to make your request.
- I get my bill from the RRB
How often will I get a Medicare bill?
If you buy only Part B, you'll get a "Medicare Premium Bill" (Form CMS-500) every 3 months.
If you buy Part A or if you owe Part D IRMAA, you'll get a “Medicare Premium Bill” every month.
4 ways to pay your Medicare bill:
1. Pay online through your secure Medicare account — You can pay by credit card, debit card, or from your checking or savings account. Learn more about paying your premiums online.
2. Pay directly from your savings or checking account through your bank's online bill payment service — learn what information you need to have ready when you contact your bank to set up this service.
3. Sign up for Medicare Easy Pay, a free service that automatically deducts your premium payments from your savings or checking account each month. We'll deduct your premium from your bank account, usually on the 20th of the month.
4. Mail your payment to Medicare — You can pay by check, money order, credit card, or debit card. Fill out the payment coupon that comes with your bill. Payments sent without the coupon may be delayed.
If you pay by credit/debit card, enter the account information and expiration date as it appears on your card. Be sure to sign the coupon.
Mail your Medicare payment coupon and payment to:
Look closely at your bill
The type of "Medicare Premium Bill" (Form CMS-500) you get shows if you're at risk of losing your Medicare coverage for late payments:
If the box in the upper right corner says |
It means |
Do this |
|---|---|---|
| This is not a bill | You signed up for Medicare Easy Pay. Your premium payment will be automatically deducted from your bank account around the 20th of each month. | You don’t need to do anything. |
| First Bill | This is your very first bill, or you’ve paid your last bill in full. | Send in payment for the total amount due. Medicare must get your payment by the bill's due date or it's considered late. |
| Second Bill | Medicare didn’t get your full payment by the due date shown on the First Bill. (The payment is late by at least 60 days.) | Send in payment for the total amount due by the bill's due date. |
| Delinquent Bill | Medicare didn’t get your full payment by the due date shown on the Second Bill. (The payment is late by at least 90 days.) If you don't pay the total amount due, you'll lose your Medicare coverage. | Send in payment for the total amount due by the bill's due date so that you don’t lose your Medicare coverage. This is the last bill you’ll get. |
All Medicare bills are due on the 25th of the month. In most cases, your premium is due the same month that you get the bill. For example, Medicare runs the bill for April on March 27th. You'll get the bill in early April, and it's due on April 25th.
What if my premium payment is late?
If your First Bill payment is late, you'll get a Second Bill. Your Second Bill will include both past amounts and next month's premium. If you don’t pay the total amount due by the 25th of the month, you'll get a Delinquent Bill. If you get a Delinquent Bill and you don’t pay your total amount due by the 25th of the month, you’ll lose your Medicare coverage.
What if I have questions about my bill or the status of my coverage?