What you get free vs $99/year on Retirement Tax Radar

Updated August 2026 · Educational, not tax advice

Free answers one question right now: did the tax return Medicare is using put this household over the income line? Two questions. UNDER or OVER. A result you can text to your spouse. $99/year keeps this household on a board with two clocks (lookback MAGI + income you are earning this year), a five-year path if MAGI stays put, widow view, CPA board print, and CMS line updates. Neither tier tells you how much to convert. Both are educational estimates — not advice.

The problem both tiers solve

Medicare premiums use income from two years ago. A Roth conversion, IRA withdrawal, house sale, or last paycheck can push MAGI over a cliff. Two years later, January's Social Security check shrinks. Most households need alignment before the IRA move, not a spreadsheet after.

Free — two questions on /check/

Job: Answer "are we over the line?" once and share the same numbers with a spouse.

You get	Direct use
Two questions (married filing jointly? + income from the return Medicare is using)	No upload. No account.
UNDER or OVER with room before the next IRMAA line	Kitchen-table decision before anyone touches the IRA
Dollar cost if you cross ($1,148.40 / $2,296.80 at the first tier)	CMS Nov 14, 2025 figures — not a $1 surcharge
Spouse share link	Same result on their phone — no login
Print this result + official SSA-44 link	On the free check result — not $99 extras

Free does not: save the household, keep two clocks year after year, or recommend a conversion amount. A fuller line-by-line checker lives at /check/full/ (linked from the free result, not the homepage CTA).

Run the free check

Paid — $99/year — household board

Job: Keep this household through the next Medicare letter cycle when you will make more than one income decision.

You get	Direct use
This household saved	Reopen the same board anytime
Two clocks	Lookback MAGI (what prices this premium year) + income you are earning this year (what prices a later letter)
Five-year path if MAGI stays put	See which tax year prices which premium year
Widow view	Same MAGI against the joint line vs the single line
CPA board print + CMS line updates	Board for your records or a professional; lines refresh when CMS publishes

Paid does not: output a convert-$X call, build a conversion ladder, or replace a CPA. It is not a convert-or-skip decision. SSA-44's official link and print-this-result stay on the free check.

Open the household board · Full pricing

When free is enough

January check dropped and you want to know if IRMAA is why
Someone proposed a one-time conversion and you need a Medicare-cost sanity check
You and your spouse need to agree once, then act

When $99/year is worth it

Several income moves before the next November letter
You want the same household saved — not retyping MAGI each time
You want both clocks (lookback + this year) and a five-year path on one board
Widow line or a CPA board print matters for this household

Why yearly, not monthly

CMS republishes income lines every November. This year's income prices a premium two years later. One $99 payment covers this household through that letter cycle — not a subscription tier stack.

How we're different

January-first. Built for "why did my deposit shrink?" — not only "what tier am I in?"
Two questions. Filing status + lookback income. Ten seconds. No account.
No convert-$X. Shows Medicare cost of income; does not recommend an amount.
Household alignment. Spouse share is on the free result.
Official CMS numbers. $1,148.40 / $2,296.80 at the first tier (Nov 14, 2025 table).

See whether this household crossed the line. Two questions. No account. Then a result you can text to your spouse.