Choose a calculator
IRMAA premium calculator
For North Carolina retirees with a TSERS or LGERS pension, military retired pay, required minimum distributions or a one-time sale: enter your 2024 income to see your 2026 Part B premium and Part D surcharge, and how close you are to the next bracket.
Part D drug cap estimator
See what the 2027 yearly cap on covered drug costs means for your prescriptions, how the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan spreads it out, and what you might pay with Extra Help.
Late enrollment penalty calculator
Estimate the Part B and Part D penalties for a late sign-up, and see how an MQB program through NC Medicaid and Extra Help can take them away.
Savings programs screener
Check whether your income and savings might fit MQB-Q, MQB-B or MQB-E through NC Medicaid, or Extra Help through Social Security.
How the calculators work
Each calculator reads the same figures that appear across this site: the amounts CMS and Social Security publish for Part B premiums, IRMAA brackets, the Part D out-of-pocket cap and the national base premium, and the Medicare Savings Program and Extra Help limits. When Medicare announces new amounts, the calculators change with them.
They give estimates, not decisions. Social Security sets your Part B premium and any income-related surcharge, your county Department of Social Services (DSS) decides whether you qualify for an MQB program, and Social Security decides Extra Help. If a result is close to a limit, apply anyway: both agencies subtract some income, and leave out some property, before they compare what you have to the limit.
What is different in North Carolina
- North Carolina calls its Medicare Savings Programs MQB. MQB-Q is the federal QMB (income up to about 100% of the federal poverty level), MQB-B is SLMB (about 100% to 120%) and MQB-E is QI (about 120% to 135%), according to NC Medicaid's chart MA-2252. North Carolina also has a resource limit, $9,950 for one person or $14,910 for a couple in 2026, lower than the Extra Help limit. See Medicare Savings Programs in North Carolina.
- Applying goes through NC Medicaid. Apply online through ePASS or at your county DSS office; the NC Medicaid Contact Center, 1-888-245-0179, can help you find yours. Read NC Medicaid and Medicare for how the two work together.
- Your federal return, not your NC return, drives IRMAA. Social Security uses only your federal MAGI. The taxable part of a TSERS or LGERS pension, military retired pay, required minimum distributions and Roth conversions all count. State Health Plan retirees in the Base Plan or Enhanced Plan have group Part D, so the Part D surcharge applies too. See State Health Plan retirees and Medicare.
- No state drug program for all seniors. North Carolina doesn't run a general pharmaceutical assistance program for seniors, so the drug cap and Extra Help are the main protections against high Part D costs.
After you run the numbers
A calculator can tell you what a rule costs; it can't tell you which plan fits your doctors and prescriptions. For the full picture of this year's amounts, see Medicare costs in 2026, and for what CMS has published for next year, Medicare costs in 2027. To see Medicare Advantage and Part D plans offered where you live, you can see plans for your ZIP code. To talk it through with a licensed insurance agent who works with Benefits Life, you can request a call from a licensed insurance agent.
Sources
- CMS — 2026 Medicare Parts A & B premiums and deductibles
- CMS — CY 2027 Rate Announcement (Part D parameters) (PDF)
- NCDHHS — MA-2252, Non-MAGI Medicaid income and reserve limits, effective April 1, 2026 (PDF)
- NC Medicaid — How to apply
- Medicare.gov — Medicare Savings Programs
- Social Security — Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs
- Social Security — Premiums: rules for higher-income beneficiaries
Frequently asked questions
Are these calculator results official?
No. They are estimates built on the amounts Medicare and Social Security publish. Social Security sets your actual premium and any IRMAA, your county Department of Social Services decides MQB eligibility, and Social Security decides Extra Help when you apply there.
Do I have to enter my name or contact details?
No. The calculators run in your browser, ask only for numbers, and don't send or store anything you type.
Which year's figures do the calculators use?
The IRMAA and penalty calculators use the 2026 amounts, including the $202.90 standard Part B premium, because CMS hasn't published the 2027 Part B premium and IRMAA brackets yet. The drug cap estimator uses the 2027 Part D cap and Extra Help copays, which CMS has published, so you can plan for next year during Open Enrollment.
Does North Carolina's state income tax change any of these results?
No. IRMAA uses the income on your federal tax return, and the MQB programs and Extra Help use their own income rules. Your North Carolina return, and any state deductions or exclusions on it, doesn't raise or lower these amounts.
Medicare in your North Carolina county
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