Medicare enrollment periods

Initial Enrollment Period: seven months

For most people first eligible at 65, the window includes the three months before the birthday month, that month, and the three months after it. Coverage start dates depend on when you sign up; birthdays on the first of the month have special timing. Confirm your dates before assuming coverage has started.

Automatic enrollment and working past 65

Some people receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits are enrolled automatically. Others must apply. Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap are separate coverage decisions. If you are still working, review active employer coverage and employer size before deciding whether to delay Part B. COBRA and retiree coverage are not the same as active employment coverage.

Working and retiring after 65 →

Annual Enrollment: October 15–December 7

This is the annual opportunity to join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage, with changes generally effective January 1. Read your Annual Notice of Change. A renewing plan can still change costs and coverage.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1–March 31

If you already have Medicare Advantage, you can generally make one change to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare and join a separate drug plan. This does not by itself guarantee acceptance for a Medigap policy.

General Enrollment: January 1–March 31

If you missed signing up for Part A or Part B and do not have a Special Enrollment Period, General Enrollment may be your next opportunity. Late-enrollment penalties can apply depending on your circumstances.

Medicare Special Enrollment Period help

A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) depends on the event, your coverage and the change you want to make. Part A and Part B enrollment rules are separate from Medicare Advantage and Part D plan-change rules. There is no single deadline for every SEP.

Part A or Part B after employment coverage

If you qualify based on current-employment group health coverage, you can generally sign up for Part B while that coverage and employment continue, or during the eight months after employment or coverage ends, whichever happens first. COBRA does not restart that window. Confirm the start date with Social Security before employer coverage ends; waiting can leave a gap. Read Medicare’s working-past-65 rules.

Medicare Advantage or Part D after a life event

• Moving: A move outside your plan’s service area, or a move that gives you new plan options, may allow a change. Tell the plan when you are moving.
• Employer or union coverage ending: Plan-joining opportunities have their own timing. Do not use Part B’s eight-month window as your Advantage or Part D deadline.
• Medicaid eligibility ending: Keep the notice and its notification and termination dates; both can affect the applicable window.
• A plan ending: Nonrenewal and different types of contract termination have different rules. Use the plan’s written notice to identify your situation.

Medicare lists the allowed changes and exact deadlines for each event. A doctor leaving a network does not automatically create a SEP.

What to bring for enrollment help

Bring the event date, coverage-end date, plan or employer notices, and your Medicare Part A and Part B effective dates. Ask which coverage can change, when the request must arrive, and when replacement coverage starts. Confirm the applicable SEP with Medicare or your plan; Social Security handles Part A and Part B enrollment.

Working and retiring after 65 and what to do when a plan ends provide more context. For local assistance, visit our St. George office page or call (435) 466-7213.

SEP sources checked with AI assistance October 9, 2026 (UTC). Eligibility and dates depend on your individual situation.

Medigap Open Enrollment is a separate window

The federal six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. It generally offers protection from health underwriting. Outside it, guaranteed-issue rights and state rules may apply; do not assume the annual Medicare enrollment season gives the same protection.

Medigap and Plan F questions →

Do not forget drug coverage

Going 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage after your initial enrollment period can lead to a Part D late-enrollment penalty. VA, employer, or other coverage may be creditable. Check before dropping it, even if you currently take no prescriptions.