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Medicare · Free guide + PDF timeline

Your Turning-65 Medicare timeline

The seven-month window, when coverage starts, and what waiting can cost, in the order you will meet them.

Last updated October 18, 2026Español

When should I sign up for Medicare when I turn 65?

Your Initial Enrollment Period lasts seven months. It starts three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months after it. If you sign up before your birthday month, Part B coverage starts in the month you turn 65. If you sign up in your birthday month or in the three months after, coverage starts the following month. If you or your spouse is still working and covered by an employer plan, different rules may let you wait.

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Your timeline

Initial Enrollment Period: 7 months

  1. 3 months before
  2. 2 months before
  3. 1 month before
  4. Your birthday month
  5. 1 month after
  6. 2 months after
  7. 3 months after
Sign up here: coverage starts in the month you turn 65Sign up here: coverage starts the month after you sign up
The Initial Enrollment Period around your 65th birthday month.

Step by step

  1. About 6 to 7 months before your 65th birthday: find out how you will be enrolled

    If you have been getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits for at least 4 months before you turn 65, you are automatically enrolled in premium-free Part A and Part B. Everyone else signs up. Start a list of your doctors, your prescriptions, and any employer or retiree coverage you have.

  2. 3 months before your birthday month: your enrollment window opens

    Your Initial Enrollment Period begins. Sign up before your birthday month and Part B coverage starts in the month you turn 65 (the month before, if your birthday is on the 1st). Premium-free Part A starts the same way.

  3. Your birthday month and the 3 months after: you can still sign up, but coverage starts later

    If you sign up in your birthday month or in any of the next three months, coverage starts the first day of the following month.

  4. Within 6 months of starting Part B: shop for a Medigap policy

    Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period lasts 6 months and begins the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. After it ends, you may not be able to buy a Medigap policy, or it may cost more.

  5. 3 months after your birthday month: the window closes

    If you miss it and do not qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you wait for the General Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, and coverage starts the month after you sign up. The late penalties below can apply.

  6. If you are still working: check your Special Enrollment Period

    If you or your spouse have coverage through current work, you can sign up for Part B while that coverage lasts, or for up to 8 months after the coverage or the job ends, whichever comes first. COBRA and retiree coverage do not count.

  7. Every fall: review your plan

    The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7. Plans change their costs, networks and drug lists each year, so what fit last year may not fit this year.

What does it cost to wait?

Part B: if you could have signed up and did not, you pay an extra 10% for each full 12-month period you waited, and the penalty is usually charged for as long as you have Part B.

Part D (drug coverage): if you go 63 days or more without Medicare drug coverage or other creditable drug coverage after you are first eligible, you pay an extra 1% of the national base premium for each full month you went without, added for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage, even if you switch plans.

Part A: most people get premium-free Part A. If you have to buy it and sign up late, your premium may go up 10%.

Signing up during a Special Enrollment Period, for example after employer coverage ends, usually means you do not pay a Part B late penalty.

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Common questions

What if my birthday is on the 1st of the month?

Medicare.gov says that if your birthday falls on the first of the month, your premium-free Part A coverage starts the month before. Ask Social Security or a licensed agent how that shifts your own window.

Do I have to sign up for Part B when I turn 65?

Not if you or your spouse are still working and have coverage through that work, because you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. If you do not have that kind of coverage, waiting can mean a permanent Part B late penalty.

Does COBRA let me delay Part B?

No. COBRA does not count as coverage through current work for this purpose, and retiree coverage does not either. Your Special Enrollment Period still runs out 8 months after the job or the work coverage ends.

What is the Part B late enrollment penalty?

An extra 10% of the Part B premium for each full 12-month period you could have signed up but did not. It is usually charged for as long as you have Part B.

What if I miss my Initial Enrollment Period?

You can sign up during the General Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31 each year. Coverage starts the month after you sign up, and a late penalty may apply.

When can I buy a Medigap policy without a health review?

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period is the best window. It lasts 6 months and starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. Some states have additional rules.

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Sources

Public sources this page relies on. Rules and amounts can change, so check the source before you act.

Important disclosures

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 15 organizations which offer 114 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. Counts shown are for San Diego County, 2027. Organizations and plans vary by county and state; we are licensed in additional states, so ask us for the count where you live. For life, dental and other non-Medicare coverage we work with additional carriers not included in these numbers.

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This page is educational only. It is not medical, legal, tax, or financial advice, and it is not an offer of coverage or a recommendation of any particular plan.

Plan availability, benefits, premiums, networks, formularies, cost sharing, and eligibility rules vary by carrier, by plan, by county, and by year, and they are subject to change. Confirm the details of any plan in its official plan documents before enrolling.