How Roth Conversions Affect Social Security Taxes and IRMAA
Release Date: 05/13/2026
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info_outlineDavid McKnight dissects a topic that causes a lot of confusion for retirees and pre-retirees: How Roth conversions affect social security taxation and Medicare premiums (IRMAA).
Some warn against Roth conversions in retirement as they can cause your Social Security to become taxable and could also raise your Medicare premiums.
While that’s true, David believes that the long-term benefits of Roth conversions can far outweigh the temporary, short-term pain they can cause.
In order to determine whether your Social Security benefits will be taxed, the IRS tracks the so-called provisional income.
If you perform a Roth conversion after you begin collecting Social Security, that additional income can push you above certain thresholds that cause your Social Security benefits to become taxable.
Medicare premiums are also influenced by your income through IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount), and they look at your income from two years earlier to determine your IRMAA bracket,
Remember: A Roth conversion today could trigger higher Medicare premiums two years from now.
David also explains that Roth withdrawals are not included in provisional income.
Not only do they not cause your Social Security benefits to become taxable, but they also do not count towards the income thresholds that trigger higher Medicare premiums.
As David points out, with the approach discussed in this episode, you’re essentially compressing the tax pain into a few years, so you can enjoy decades of tax-free income later on.
The national debt continues to spiral out of control to the point where economists are now predicting massive tax increases within the next 10 to 20 years.
If such predictions are accurate, the people who will benefit most are those who have already shifted large portions of their retirement savings into tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs.
By performing Roth conversions today – while tax rates are historically low – you’re effectively locking in today’s tax rates and protecting yourself from the possibility of much higher rates down the road.
When talking about Roth conversions affecting Social Security taxation and IRMAA, we have to remember that those impacts are temporary, while the tax-free benefits can last for the rest of your life.
David touches upon two reasons why it may make sense to delay taking Social Security while you’re performing Roth conversions.
Increasing the likelihood that your money will last as long as you do should be the #1 goal of every retirement plan.
Mentioned in this episode:
David’s new book: The Secret Order of Millionaires
David’s national bestselling book: The Guru Gap: How America’s Financial Gurus Are Leading You Astray, and How to Get Back on Track
Tax-Free Income for Life: A Step-by-Step Plan for a Secure Retirement by David McKnight
PowerOfZero.com (free video series)
@mcknightandco on Twitter
@davidcmcknight on Instagram
David McKnight on YouTube
Get David's Tax-free Tool Kit at taxfreetoolkit.com