Medicare has four enrollment windows, and each one sets a different start date for your coverage. Your first chance is the seven-month Initial Enrollment Period around your 65th birthday. The only way to avoid permanent late enrollment penalties is if enrol during the Initial Enrollment Period.
How to Sign Up for Medicare (2026 Plan Year)
Updated: September 7, 2026
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Key Takeaways
Sign up for Medicare through Social Security online, by phone or in person during your seven-month enrollment window.
Missing your initial enrollment period triggers permanent 10% penalties for each year you delay Part B coverage.
Automatic Medicare enrollment only happens if you're already receiving Social Security benefits four months before turning 65.
How to Apply for Medicare
To apply for Medicare, contact Social Security online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or in person at a local Social Security office. Most people aren't automatically enrolled, so start the process three months before turning 65.
Your Medicare card arrives two to four weeks after your application is approved. Social Security also mails a welcome packet with your coverage start date and plan details.
- 1
Apply online at ssa.gov
The application takes 10 to 30 minutes. You'll set up a Social Security account through Login.gov or ID.me. You can apply for Medicare even if you're not ready to start Social Security retirement benefits yet.
What you'll need:
- Social Security number
- Birth certificate or proof of U.S. citizenship
- Bank account information if you want benefit payments directly deposited
- 2
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213
Social Security representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tell the representative whether you want Parts A and B together, or only Part A. If you worked for a railroad, call the Railroad Retirement Board instead at 1-877-772-5772.
- 3
Visit your local Social Security office
Call 1-800-772-1213 to book an appointment, or visit ssa.gov to find your nearest Social Security office.
When Can You Enroll in Medicare?
Initial Enrollment Period | 7 months total: 3 months before your 65th birthday, your birthday month, plus 3 months after | Anyone turning 65 for the first time | Depends on when you sign up during those 7 months | You'll wait until January to enroll and pay penalties |
General Enrollment Period | January 1 - March 31 every year | People who missed their first chance and don't qualify for special circumstances | The month after you sign up | 10% penalty for every year you waited |
Special Enrollment Period | 8 months after qualifying events like losing job coverage | People with life changes like retirement or moving | The month after enrollment | None if you truly qualify |
Annual Open Enrollment | October 15 - December 7 | Current Medicare members changing plans | January 1st | No penalties for switching plans |
WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISS INITIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD?
Even if you miss your Medicare enrollment window, you still have multiple options. If you had employer coverage, TRICARE or other qualifying coverage when you turned 65, you'll get eight months from when that coverage ends or when you turn 65 (whichever is later) to sign up penalty-free.
Without qualifying coverage, you'll wait for the General Enrollment Period, which is from January 1 through March 31. A late enrollment penalty applies, and coverage starts the first day of the month after you sign up.
What Documents Do You Need to Apply for Medicare?
Gather these documents before you apply. Social Security may already have some of this information on file, but having it ready speeds up your application.
You'll need:
- Social Security number or Social Security card
- Original birth certificate or proof of U.S. citizenship
- Proof of legal residence if you weren't born in the U.S.
- Most recent W-2 form or self-employment tax return
You may also need:
- Military discharge papers if you served in the U.S. armed forces
Do You Automatically Get Medicare at 65?
You don't automatically enroll in Medicare if you turn 65 and your automatic enrollment depends on your Social Security status.
If you're already collecting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits at least four months before your 65th birthday, Medicare enrolls you in Part A and Part B automatically. Your Medicare card arrives in the mail about three months before your coverage begins.
If you're not yet receiving Social Security benefits because you're still working or waiting to claim, you'll need to apply yourself. Contact the Social Security Administration three months before turning 65 and applying online at SSA.gov is faster than calling or visiting a Social Security office.
You're receiving Social Security retirement benefits at least four months before turning 65.
You've been getting Social Security disability benefits for 24 months (coverage starts on your 25th month).
You have ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and get disability benefits. Coverage starts immediately with no waiting period.
You're a Railroad Retirement Board beneficiary who meets the same four-month timing.
YOU NEED TO APPLY FOR MEDICARE YOURSELF IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS:
- You're delaying Social Security benefits past 65.
- You're not collecting retirement benefits yet.
- You don't qualify for free Part A because you didn't work long enough under Social Security.
- You live in Puerto Rico or outside the U.S. Even if you get Part A automatically, you must actively enroll in Part B.
- You're still working with employer coverage and want to delay enrollment.
How to Sign Up for Medicare Part A and Part B?
You can enroll in Part A and Part B through Social Security during your Initial Enrollment Period. If you're already receiving Social Security benefits, enrollment is automatic. Everyone else needs to apply.
Part APart A covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice and home health services. Most people pay no monthly premium for Part A if they or their spouse worked at least 10 years paying Medicare taxes. Apply through Social Security if you're not automatically enrolled.
Part BPart B covers doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services and medically necessary supplies. A monthly premium and annual deductible apply. The 2026 standard monthly premium is $202.90, and the annual deductible is $283. You must actively enroll in Part B through Social Security during your Initial Enrollment Period or a qualifying Special Enrollment Period.
APPLY FOR MEDIGAP WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF GETTING PART B
Original Medicare enrollees have six months from getting Part B to apply for a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. During this window, insurers must offer you coverage at their best price and can't turn you down for pre-existing conditions. After this window closes, insurers can charge more or deny your Medigap application.
STOP HSA CONTRIBUTIONS BEFORE YOU ENROLL
You can't contribute to a Health Savings Account once you enroll in any part of Medicare. If you're still working and plan to delay Medicare, stop HSA contributions at least six months before signing up. If you contribute past the six-month mark, it can trigger a tax penalty from the IRS.
How to Sign Up for Medicare Part C and Part D?
Part C and Part D plans come from private insurers, not Social Security. Compare plans and enroll at medicare.gov/plan-compare or directly through the plan's insurer during your enrollment window.
Medicare Advantage (Part C) replaces Original Medicare and requires both Part A and Part B to enroll. Most plans bundle prescription drug coverage and may include dental, vision and hearing benefits. Plans vary by ZIP code. Enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period, Annual Open Enrollment or a qualifying Special Enrollment Period.
Part D covers prescription drugs and requires at least Part A or Part B to join. A standalone Part D plan adds drug coverage to your Original Medicare benefits. Miss your enrollment window by more than 63 days and a permanent late penalty of 1% of the national base beneficiary premium ($38.99) applies for each month without coverage.
What Happens if I Don’t Enroll in Medicare at 65?
Missing the Medicare enrollment deadline carries permanent financial consequences. The penalties added to your monthly premium do not disappear, and they grow with every additional year you wait.
- 1The penalties are permanent and hurt your wallet every month.
You'll pay a 10% penalty for each full year you could've enrolled in Part B but didn't. This penalty gets added to your monthly premium permanently. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 in 2026. Delay two full years and you'd pay 20% on top of that standard premium. That adds up to $243.50 every month for life.
The penalty compounds with time. Three years of delay means a 30% surcharge on your Part B premium, four years means 40% and five years means 50%.
- 2Prescription drug coverage has its own penalty too.
Miss drug coverage for more than 63 days and you'll pay 1% of what Medicare calls the base premium ($38.99 in 2026) each month you went without coverage. So if you delayed drug coverage for 14 months, you'd pay a 14% penalty on top of your monthly plan premium for life.
- 3There are some exceptions, but they're really specific.
A penalty-free exemption requires a qualifying Special Enrollment Period triggered by specific life events. Losing COBRA or retiree coverage doesn't count. Current employer-sponsored coverage through your own or your spouse's active job qualifies.
How to Get Medicare: FAQ
These answers cover the most common Medicare sign-up questions.
Contact Social Security three months before turning 65 unless you're already receiving Social Security benefits. You can apply online at ssa.gov, call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security office during your seven-month enrollment window.
Apply through Social Security online at ssa.gov in 10 to 30 minutes, by phone at 1-800-772-1213 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or in person at a local Social Security office. All three methods need the same documents.
Your Medicare card arrives two to four weeks after your application is approved. Enroll in the first three months of your enrollment window and coverage starts the first day of your birthday month.
Most people qualify for Medicare at 65. Certain disabilities or conditions, such as ALS, can qualify you earlier. Medicare also requires U.S. citizenship or permanent legal residency.
Medicare enrollment isn't mandatory, but delaying Part B adds a permanent 10% penalty for each year you wait. You can delay without a penalty only if you have qualifying employer coverage through your own or your spouse's current job. And if you lose that employer coverage, it gives you an eight-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up without a penalty.
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Mark Fitzpatrick is a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut and MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. In nearly a decade covering the insurance market at LendingTree and MoneyGeek, he's analyzed hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.
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Sources
- Medicare.gov. "When can I sign up for Medicare?." Accessed September 20, 2026.
- Medicare.gov. "Avoid late enrollment penalties." Accessed September 20, 2026.
- Medicare.gov. "When does Medicare coverage start?." Accessed September 20, 2026.