Medicare Enrollment
Timing matters with Medicare. Enrolling at the right time helps you avoid gaps in coverage and lifelong late penalties. Here's how the enrollment windows work.
Key points
- Your Initial Enrollment Period is a 7-month window around your 65th birthday.
- If you're already getting Social Security benefits, you're usually enrolled in Parts A and B automatically.
- Missing your window without other qualifying coverage can mean late penalties that last as long as you have Medicare.
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A few months before your 65th birthday, it helps to:
- Find out whether you'll be enrolled automatically (if you already receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits) or need to sign up yourself.
- Check whether you or your spouse have current employer coverage, and how big that employer is — this affects whether you can delay Part B.
- Make a list of your doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions.
- Decide how you want to get your coverage: Original Medicare (often with Part D and a Medigap policy) or a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Note your key dates so you don't miss your Initial Enrollment Period.
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Frequently asked questions
Sources from Medicare.gov
The facts on this page come from official Medicare.gov information. Rules, premiums, deductibles, and income limits can change every year — check these pages for the current details.
- When can I sign up for Medicare? (opens Medicare.gov in a new tab)
- When does Medicare coverage start? (opens Medicare.gov in a new tab)
- How do I sign up for Medicare? (opens Medicare.gov in a new tab)
- Special Enrollment Periods (opens Medicare.gov in a new tab)
- Avoid late enrollment penalties (opens Medicare.gov in a new tab)
You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
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We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
To send a complaint to Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week. If your complaint involves a broker or agent, be sure to include the name of the person when filing your grievance.
This website is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. The information on this page is general education, not advice about a specific plan.