Tools
Medicare Part B Late Enrollment Penalty Calculator
Medicare charges a late enrollment penalty if you skip Part B when you're first eligible and you don't have coverage through a job you or your spouse still actively works. The surcharge gets added to your monthly premium, and for most people it never goes away.
Use the calculator below for a quick estimate, then read on so you know whether the penalty even applies to your situation.
- 10% added for each full 12 months delayed
- The surcharge usually lasts as long as you carry Part B
- Active employer coverage protects you from it
Estimate
Calculate your Part B penalty
Enter your details
Only count months with no employer coverage from active work.
Use the current year's standard premium published by Medicare.
Estimated penalty
- Full 12-month periods delayed
- 1
- Penalty rate
- 10%
- Added each month
- $18.50
- Added each year
- $222.00
- Your estimated total premium
- $203.50
Estimate only. Medicare calculates the penalty as 10% of the standard premium for each full 12-month period you could have had Part B but didn't, and it generally applies for as long as you have Part B.
Context
When the penalty does and doesn't apply
You're protected while you carry group health coverage tied to current employment, yours or your spouse's. Retiree coverage, COBRA and marketplace plans do not count. Once that active employment ends, you get an eight month Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part B with no penalty.
Drug coverage carries its own separate penalty. If you're weighing whether to delay, read about Part D drug plans too, and check the full list of mistakes to avoid.
Wichita Falls Senior Insurance is not a government agency
This calculator is an educational estimate and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency. For an official determination, contact Social Security.
Free review
Think you may already owe a penalty?
Call us before you enroll. In some cases an equitable relief request or a Special Enrollment Period can still help.