Medicare Late Enrollment Penalties in 2026 — Part B Lasts for Life, Part A Does Not
Part B adds 10% per full 12-month delay and is usually charged for life. Part A lasts only twice the years you delayed. Part D adds 1% a month. Standard Part B premium is $202.90 in 2026.
The three penalties do not work the same way
People often assume one Medicare late-enrollment rule covers everything. Each part is calculated differently, and only one of them is charged for life in the usual case.[1]
Part B — an extra 10% for each year you could have signed up but didn't, and it is usually charged for as long as you have the coverage. Part A — the premium may go up 10%, but it lasts only twice the number of years you didn't sign up, so it does end. Part D — an extra 1% for each month (12% a year), added for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage, even if you switch plans.[1]
Part B counts only whole years — partial ones don't add up
The Part B penalty is applied per full 12-month period. Waiting 23 months is not 'almost two years' of penalty — it is one full period, so 10%, not 20%. The count is of complete 12-month blocks you went without Part B when you could have had it.[2]
And because the penalty is a percentage of the standard premium, it rises when the premium rises. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 in 2026, so a 20% penalty is not a fixed dollar amount — it grows with the premium each year.[1][2]
Delay is not automatically a penalty
Having waited does not by itself mean you owe a penalty. A Special Enrollment Period can exempt you from the Part B penalty — this is the situation for many people who stayed on employer coverage past 65.[2]
For Part D the test is creditable coverage: the penalty applies if you go 63 or more days without it. Prior drug coverage that meets Medicare's standard — an employer plan or VA coverage, for instance — prevents the penalty. So the question is not only *how long you waited* but *what you had while waiting*.[1][2]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
Medicare.gov states the Part B late enrollment penalty adds an extra 10% for each year you could have signed up for Part B but did not.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
Late enrollment penalties are usually charged for as long as you have that type of coverage, which for most people means a lifetime penalty for Part B.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
The Part A late enrollment penalty raises the monthly premium by 10% but lasts for twice the number of years you did not sign up, unlike Part B.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
The Part D late enrollment penalty adds 1% for each month, which is 12% a year, and applies if you go 63 or more days without creditable coverage.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
The standard Part B premium is $202.90 in 2026, and the Part D national base beneficiary premium is $38.99 in 2026.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
Only full 12-month periods count toward the Part B penalty, and a Special Enrollment Period can exempt someone from it.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
Timeline
- 2026-03-26
NCOA publishes its explainer citing the 2026 Part B premium of $202.90 and Part D base of $38.99.[2]
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 09/08/2026, 21:20
- Body characters
- 1,538
- Sources
- 2 sources adopted
- Model
- claude-opus-5 (medicare.gov official page and NCOA checked against each other)
- Time
- 09/08/2026, 21:20
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 09/08/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 09/08/2026 | New document. The three parts use different penalty rules and only Part B is usually lifetime, which most summaries blur together; built from Medicare.gov and NCOA. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How is the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty calculated?
It adds 10% to the standard Part B premium for each full 12-month period you could have had Part B but didn't. Only complete 12-month periods count, so 23 months of delay is one period, not two.[1][2]
Does the Part B penalty ever go away?
Usually not. Medicare.gov says late enrollment penalties are charged for as long as you have that coverage, which for most people means a lifetime penalty for Part B.[1]
Is the Part A penalty also for life?
No. The Part A penalty raises the premium 10% but lasts only twice the number of years you did not sign up, so unlike Part B it ends.[1]
How is the Part D penalty different?
Part D adds 1% per month, or 12% a year, and is based on the national base beneficiary premium, which is $38.99 in 2026. It applies after 63 or more days without creditable drug coverage and continues even if you change plans.[1][2]
I delayed because I had job coverage. Do I still owe a penalty?
Not necessarily. A Special Enrollment Period can exempt you from the Part B penalty, and for Part D, prior creditable coverage such as an employer or VA plan prevents the penalty.[2]