Free tools

Work out your own numbers

The guides explain how Medicare works. These do the arithmetic on your own figures, using the official 2026 amounts from CMS and Social Security.

Every one of these runs inside your browser. What you type is never sent to us, never stored, and never shared. You could disconnect from the internet after the page loads and they would still work.

• When is my Medicare sign-up window?

  Enter your date of birth and get your exact 7-month window, the date coverage can start, and whether the first-of-the-month rule shifts everything a month earlier for you.

  What it can't do: Uses your birthday only. If you have employer coverage, your window may be different.

• What would a late Part B penalty cost me?

  The Part B late penalty is 10% for every full year you could have signed up and didn't, and you pay it for life. See what that adds up to in real dollars.

  What it can't do: An estimate. If you had job-based coverage you may owe nothing at all.

• What would a late Part D penalty cost me?

  1% of the national base premium for every month you went without drug coverage, added to your premium permanently. Small per month, large over a retirement.

  What it can't do: An estimate. Creditable coverage from an employer or the VA usually means no penalty.

• Will I pay the high-income surcharge (IRMAA)?

  IRMAA is a cliff, not a slope, and it looks at your tax return from two years ago. Enter that income and see which band you land in and what it adds per month.

  What it can't do: Based on the income you enter. Social Security decides using the return the IRS sent them.

• Social Security at 62, 67, or 70

  Enter your full-retirement-age benefit and see all three in real dollars, plus the break-even ages: the point where waiting starts to come out ahead.

  What it can't do: Break-even math ignores taxes, spousal benefits, and cost-of-living raises.

• Could my state help pay my Medicare premium?

  Four programs quietly pay the Part B premium, and some pay deductibles and copays too. Around half the people eligible never apply. Check where you land.

  What it can't do: Federal limits only. Many states are more generous, so this never tells you no.

• Safely check a Medicare letter with AI

  Paste a confusing letter and this finds and removes your Medicare number, Social Security number, date of birth and address, then hands you a safe version plus the prompt to use.

  What it can't do: No pattern catches everything, and names are left in. Read the result yourself before you paste it anywhere.

None of these tell you which plan to buy, because that isn't a thing a calculator can know and it isn't what this site does. For a decision about your own coverage, use Medicare.gov or a free SHIP counselor.