How much is the Medicare late enrollment penalty in 2026?

In 2026, the Part B late enrollment penalty is 10% of the $202.90 monthly premium for each full 12-month period you delayed, making it $20.29/month per year of delay. The Part D penalty is 1% of the $38.99 national base premium per month without creditable coverage, or about $0.39/month per month of delay. Both penalties are permanent and added to your monthly premium for as long as you have Medicare.

Do Medicare late enrollment penalties ever go away?

No. Medicare late enrollment penalties for both Part B and Part D are permanent. They are added to your monthly premium and remain there for the rest of your life. The dollar amount can change slightly each year as the base premium adjusts, but the penalty percentage is set when you enroll and never decreases.

What if I had coverage during the gap — can I avoid the Medicare penalty?

Yes, if you had creditable coverage during the gap period, those months do not count toward your penalty. For Part B, coverage through a current employer with 20+ employees qualifies. For Part D, creditable drug coverage includes most employer plans, VA drug benefits, TRICARE, and FEHB plans. You'll need to provide documentation of that coverage when you enroll to have those months excluded from the penalty calculation.

Late Enrollment Penalty Checker Tool

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Key takeaway: Late enrollment penalties for both Part B and Part D are permanent — they never expire, they never get forgiven, and they can easily cost you thousands of extra dollars over a retirement lifetime.

What this helps you decide

The exact monthly dollar amount you'll owe in penalties based on how many months or years you delayed
Whether the combined cost of both a Part B and Part D penalty significantly changes your retirement health budget
How urgently you need to act — even a few more months of delay adds more permanent penalty cost
Whether enrolling now (even late) actually saves you money compared to waiting for the next enrollment window

Who this is for

Someone who missed their Initial Enrollment Period and wants to know what they'll owe before they enroll through the General Enrollment Period
A person who had employer coverage that ended and didn't realize their Special Enrollment Period clock had started
Anyone who went without Part D drug coverage for a stretch and needs to know how much that gap is going to cost going forward
A couple trying to understand the combined financial impact of both penalties when one spouse delayed enrollment

Example results

Example 1 — Delayed Part B by 2 years (24 months, or 2 full 12-month periods). The Part B penalty is 10% per full 12-month period without coverage. Two full periods equals a 20% permanent penalty. Applied to the 2026 Part B premium of $202.90 per month: 20% of $202.90 is $40.58. Your Part B premium becomes $243.48 per month instead of $202.90. Over 12 months, that's an extra $486.96 per year. Over 20 years of retirement, that's $9,739.20 in extra premiums — and that calculation assumes premiums never increase, which they will. The real lifetime cost is likely higher.

Example 2 — Delayed Part D by 14 months. The Part D penalty is 1% of the national base premium per month without creditable coverage. In 2026, the national base premium is $38.99. So: 1% of $38.99 equals $0.3899, multiplied by 14 months equals $5.46 per month added permanently to your Part D premium. Your drug plan will cost at least $5.46 more every month, every year, for as long as you have Medicare. That's $65.52 per year in extra costs, added on top of whatever your plan's standard premium is.

Example 3 — Both penalties combined: 2-year Part B delay and 14-month Part D gap. Adding the two penalties from the examples above: $40.58 (Part B penalty) plus $5.46 (Part D penalty) equals $46.04 per month in extra premiums. Over one year, that's $552.48. Over 15 years of a typical retirement, that's $8,287.20 in extra costs purely from missing enrollment windows. This is the scenario that catches people the hardest — they delayed both, didn't realize both had separate penalties, and end up with a compounding monthly surcharge that follows them the rest of their lives.

Sample scenarios

Scenario	Input	Result
Part B delayed 2 years	2 full 12-month periods without Part B	+20% penalty = +$40.58/mo. New monthly premium: $243.48. Extra cost: $486.96/yr forever.
Part D gap of 14 months	14 months without creditable drug coverage	+14% x $38.99 = +$5.46/mo permanently. Extra cost: $65.52/yr forever.
Both penalties (above combined)	2-yr Part B delay + 14-month Part D gap	+$46.04/mo total = $552.48/yr extra for life. 15-year cost: $8,287.20.
Part B delayed 5 years	5 full 12-month periods without Part B	+50% penalty = +$101.45/mo. New premium: $304.35/mo. Extra cost: $1,217.40/yr forever.

What to do next

Calculate your Part B penalty first: count the number of full 12-month periods you were without Part B and had no qualifying coverage. Multiply that number by 10%, then by $202.90.
Calculate your Part D penalty separately: count the months without creditable drug coverage, multiply by 1%, then multiply by $38.99.
Even if you'll owe penalties, enroll as soon as your next available window opens — every additional month of delay makes the penalty larger and the break-even on enrolling worse.
If you think you had creditable coverage during the gap period (like VA drug benefits or an employer plan), gather documentation before enrolling — it could reduce or eliminate your Part D penalty.

Key facts

The Part B late enrollment penalty is 10% of the current monthly Part B premium for each full 12-month period without coverage. In 2026, the base premium is $202.90/month, making each 12-month delay period worth $20.29/month in permanent additional cost.
The Part D late enrollment penalty is 1% of the national base beneficiary premium ($38.99 in 2026) multiplied by the number of full months without creditable prescription drug coverage. It is rounded to the nearest $0.10 and added to your monthly Part D premium permanently.
Both penalties are recalculated against the current premium each year as premiums rise, so the dollar amount of your penalty can increase over time even though the percentage is set at the time of enrollment.

Related decisions

Decision area	Tool	What it answers
Enrollment	Initial Enrollment Period Calculator	When your 7-month Medicare eligibility window begins and ends based on your 65th birthday
Enrollment	When Should I Sign Up for Medicare?	The best time to enroll based on your work status, other coverage, and age
Enrollment	Special Enrollment Period Checker	Whether a life event qualifies you for enrollment outside the standard windows
Enrollment	Late Enrollment Penalty Checker	How much extra you'll pay monthly if you missed your enrollment window
Enrollment	Part B Penalty Calculator	The exact 10%-per-year premium increase for delayed Part B enrollment
Enrollment	Part D Penalty Calculator	The 1%-per-month premium increase for gaps in creditable drug coverage
Costs	Cost Scenario Planner	Estimated annual spending across plan types at different health utilization levels
Costs	Advantage vs. Medigap Cost Comparison	True cost difference between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare with Medigap
Costs	IRMAA Calculator	Whether your income triggers higher Part B and Part D premiums
Costs	Part A Premium Estimator	Your monthly Part A premium based on work history and quarters of coverage
Costs	M3P Calculator	How the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan smooths your drug costs into monthly payments
Coverage	Doctor & Drug Assessment	Whether your providers and prescriptions are covered by a specific plan
Coverage	Part D Shopping Tool	Which Part D plan has the lowest total annual cost for your specific medications
Coverage	Travel & Network Risk Assessment	How your coverage works outside your home area and which plan types travel best
Employer/COBRA	COBRA vs. Medicare	Why COBRA can trigger permanent Medicare penalties and how costs compare
Employer/COBRA	Employer Coverage vs. Medicare	Whether your employer plan or Medicare is primary and when to transition
Employer/COBRA	HSA & Medicare Compatibility	How Medicare enrollment affects HSA eligibility and what to do before enrolling
Planning	Caregiver Readiness Checklist	Whether you have everything in place to help a loved one with Medicare decisions
Planning	Document Gatherer	Which documents you need to have ready before enrolling or changing plans
Planning	Medigap Fit Assessment	Whether Medigap or Medicare Advantage is the better fit for how you use healthcare
Planning	Medigap Open Enrollment Window	Whether you're inside your one-time guaranteed issue window for Medigap
Planning	Medicare Savings Program Eligibility	Whether your income qualifies you for help paying Medicare premiums and cost-sharing