Turning 65? Let's get your timing right.
See your Initial Enrollment Period in seconds, then follow our month-by-month checklist to avoid penalties.
Your Initial Enrollment Period calculator
Medicare gives you a 7-month window: the 3 months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month, and the 3 months after.
- Apply early in the window so coverage starts on your birthday month
- Born on the 1st? Your window shifts a month earlier
- Still working? You may be able to delay Part B
Your window runs from December 2026 to June 2027.
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- --Birthday month
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- Best time to apply
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Estimate for people turning 65. Confirm your dates with Social Security or Medicare.gov.
Your turning 65 checklist, month by month
Print it, stick it on the fridge, and check items off as you go.
6 months before your birthday
- Log in to your my Social Security account and check your work record
- Ask your employer HR if your group plan is creditable for Medicare
- List your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions with doses
- Decide whether you plan to keep working past 65
3 months before
- Your Initial Enrollment Period opens
- Apply for Parts A and B online, by phone or at a Social Security office
- Compare Supplement, Advantage and Part D options for your county
- Book a free review with an Evergreen advisor
Your birthday month
- Your Medicare card arrives with your effective dates
- Supplement or Advantage coverage starts on the 1st if you applied early
- Cancel any marketplace or individual health plan
- Keep all new ID cards together
1 to 3 months after
- Last chance in your IEP to enroll without penalties
- Coverage starts the month after you sign up
- Medigap guaranteed-issue window continues for 6 months from Part B
- Save your employer coverage letter if you delayed Part B
What applies to your situation?
If you or your spouse are still working
With group coverage from an employer of 20 or more employees, you can usually delay Part B without a penalty. Most people still enroll in premium-free Part A.
If you contribute to an HSA, stop contributions six months before enrolling in Part A, because Part A coverage can be backdated up to six months.
When you retire, you get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part B. Ask your employer to complete form CMS-L564.
If you are retiring at or before 65
Enroll in Parts A and B during your Initial Enrollment Period. Applying in the three months before your birthday month lets coverage start on time.
COBRA and retiree coverage do not let you delay Part B without a penalty. Plan your start date so there is no gap.
Decide between a Supplement plus Part D or a Medicare Advantage plan, and apply so it starts the same day as Part B.
If you already receive Social Security
You are enrolled in Parts A and B automatically, and your card arrives about three months before your 65th birthday.
If you have employer coverage and want to delay Part B, follow the instructions with your card to decline it.
You still need to choose a Supplement, Advantage or Part D plan yourself. That part is never automatic.
If you have VA benefits or TRICARE
VA health care is creditable drug coverage, so you can skip Part D without a penalty, but you may still want Part B for care outside the VA.
TRICARE for Life requires Parts A and B to stay active. Missing Part B can end your TRICARE coverage.
Dwayne, our Navy veteran advisor, helps coordinate VA, TRICARE and Medicare.
Turning 65 questions
Prefer to talk it through? Our free Medicare 101 seminars cover all of this in person.
Medicare considers you 65 the month before your birthday, so your Initial Enrollment Period starts and ends one month earlier. Tick the box in the calculator to see your adjusted dates.
If you sign up in the three months before your birthday month, coverage starts the first day of your birthday month. If you sign up during your birthday month or later, it starts the first day of the following month.
Yes. Many people take Part A and keep their employer plan as primary. How the two coordinate depends on employer size, so we review it before you decide.
You are enrolled in Parts A and B automatically, but you still need to choose any additional coverage like a Supplement, Advantage plan or Part D.
Turning 65 soon? Let's plan it together.
Free, no-pressure help comparing the plans we offer in your county. Most calls take about 20 minutes.
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