Medicare enrollees approved for Extra Help keep it through Dec. 31 even if their income changes during the year, Medicare.gov says. The program, formally the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, cuts what people on Medicare pay for prescription drugs. For 2027, Medicare.gov lists copays of up to $5.80 for generic drugs and up to $14.40 for brand-name drugs at participating pharmacies.

The timing rule matters for anyone whose income moves around. Medicare.gov says a change in income after approval does not end the help midyear, so a raise or a one-time payment cannot pull the subsidy away before the year closes.

The program is meant for people with limited income and savings who take Medicare drug coverage, whether through a stand-alone drug plan or an Advantage plan with drug benefits. Social Security decides who qualifies, and the numbers below are the limits it applies in 2026.

Help that runs to the end of the calendar year

Medicare.gov’s Extra Help page says the help lasts for the rest of the calendar year, through Dec. 31, even if income changes. Someone who still meets the limits the next year keeps Extra Help unless they receive a notice saying otherwise.

That is different from the Medicare Savings Programs, which pay Part B costs. Extra Help is about Part D, the drug coverage, and it follows the calendar year.

Do the limits cover a person’s income and savings?

For 2026, Medicare.gov lists income up to $23,940 a year and resources up to $18,090 for an individual. For a married couple the limits are $32,460 in income and $36,100 in resources. Anyone whose numbers fit and who is not already getting Extra Help should apply, because approval is what starts the year-long protection.

Put in monthly terms, the individual income limit of $23,940 a year is $1,995 a month, and the couple limit of $32,460 is $2,705 a month. Resources are savings and similar assets, and the $18,090 and $36,100 caps are separate from the income test, so a person has to fit under both.

Social Security’s operating manual, dated Feb. 11, 2026, says income after exclusions must be below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. It sets higher income limits in Alaska and Hawaii. In Alaska the 2026 limits are $29,925 for one person and $40,575 for a couple, and in Hawaii they are $27,540 and $37,335.

What Extra Help costs members in 2027

Medicare.gov lists a $0 plan premium and a $0 plan deductible for 2027 for people with Extra Help. At participating pharmacies, generic drugs cost up to $5.80 a prescription and brand-name drugs up to $14.40. The page also says that once total drug costs reach $2,400, members pay $0 for each covered drug.

A person who fills three generic prescriptions and one brand-name prescription in a month would pay at most $31.80 under those caps, which is three times $5.80 plus $14.40. Without Extra Help, a plan’s own deductible and copays apply instead. Those caps are the 2027 figures Medicare.gov publishes now, ahead of the Jan. 1 plan year, so members can compare them with what they pay today.

People with full Medicaid and QMB status pay no more than $4.90 per covered drug, according to the same page. QMB is the Medicare Savings Program that also pays the Part B premium.

The same Social Security manual says the resource figures include $1,500 a person for burial expenses. It also says the cash surrender value of life insurance does not count as a resource, and that in-kind support and maintenance does not count as income for applications filed since 2010.

Those exclusions can move a person under a limit that looks out of reach. A retiree with a small life insurance policy, for example, does not have to count its cash value toward the $18,090.

Who gets it automatically and who must apply

Medicare.gov says people get Extra Help automatically if they have full-benefit Medicaid, state help paying their Part B premiums through a Medicare Savings Program, or Supplemental Security Income. Everyone else must apply.

Applications go to Social Security, which says people can apply online or call 1-800-772-1213 to set up an appointment. Lines are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in most time zones. The agency says people can apply before or after they join a Part D plan, and its Extra Help page was last updated May 29, 2026. Someone who joins a plan first and applies later does not lose the chance to apply.

Free help with the application is available from each state’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program. The SHIP directory lists a counselor by state.

Because approval holds through Dec. 31, the calendar matters. Someone approved in 2026 is covered through the end of this year, and Medicare.gov says they keep the help into 2027 if they still meet the limits. A person who has not applied and whose income and savings fit the 2026 numbers has the same copay schedule available for 2027.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.