Contributor ⭐

Paying Medicare Premium Twice at Start of Social Security

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
May 5, 2022
35 replies
68306 views

I started Medicare at age 65. I waited to take Social Security until my Full Retirement age. I am required to paid quarterly payments for the Medicare Premium, (this before reaching Full Retirement age). My Notice of Award for my Social Security Benefit shows that Medicare Premiums will be automatically deducted from each month's benefit payment.

The problem is I will be paying the Medicare Premium twice for the month of May. After that, no problem and I want the automatic deduction. My Social Security Benefit starts in May. The Notice of Award clearly itemizes the deduction of the Medicare Premium for this first benefit payment. However, my last quarterly payment for the Medicare Premium includes the premium for May. Thus, I'm paying twice.

How do I fix this? Calling my local Social Security office is met with the sound of crickets chirping. Is there a way to fix this from within my online social security account? Or, will this get corrected automatically? If it is expected to be fixed automatically, how long does that take? Or, do I have to file a claim of some type?

It seems this must occur a fair amount since Medicare typically starts well before Full Retirement. I can't find it at the government sites. Please help.

GailL1

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

Yes, it does occur and then it takes awhile for the amount that was overpaid to be reconciled.

Remember that

Medicare Part B premiums are paid for the month of service in which they are due.
But SSA benefits are paid (1) month in arrears -

So my question to you is - will your SSA benefit be paid in May - which will be the April SSA benefit. (probably not) OR will the SSA benefit be paid in June - which will be the May benefit?

If the SSA benefit is for the month of May (paid in June) then the Part B premium that is being deducted would be for June, not May.

IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna

P

PatriciaJ659531

Contributor ⭐

Does one have to contact SSA to apply for the overpaid amount to be reconciled? Or it done automatically?

L

LD76

Contributor ⭐⭐

Hi Gail, Yes and no. I started Part B in 2024, FRA was March of 2025 and I was pre-paid directly to Medicare through May of 2025. Now it's through Social Security. Initially Social Security calculated my payment correctly, PIA minus $185, which is stated clearly in their correspondence. But then things changed at Social Security and now they are calling that my "Benefit", not my Benefit Payment.

It's not my Benefit, that's what my net benefit payment should be every month with no additional deductions.

Then they started paying me less an additional $185.00 for Medicare. I appealed immediately and they sent me $185, but they didn't correct the Payment amount and keep telling me that the amount of PIA minus the first $185 is my "Benefit" and I have to pay Medicare on top of that. In total, since Feb I've paid $1480 in Medicare for March through July, minus the $185 they did refund. If they keep deducting $370 from my PIA every month, I'll have paid over $3500 for Medicare for March through next January by the end of the year. Yes, I'm filing another appeal.

J

jv2057

Contributor ⭐

So - in my case: I paid medicare for Feb/Mar/Apr. My SS starts in Feb - paid in March. If I follow the previous responses, I would expect to eventually get a refund from Medicare for March and April. Could someone please confirm - or have I missed the point?

J

JohnC728129

Contributor ⭐⭐

I did the math and just payed Medicare what I’d owe them till social security kicked in. Example my wife will be retiring in March I just sent them 555.00 in December that will cover her for January,February and March so when the bill comes in February I won’t need to pay it as her first benefit payment in March will cover April and from then on.

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