Most people sign up during the Initial Enrollment Period, which starts three months before the month you turn 65 and lasts seven months. If you start Social Security benefits at least four months before you turn 65, you get Part A and Part B automatically; if not, you sign up through Social Security.
The four stations
Six to twelve months before
If you start Social Security benefits at least four months before you turn 65, you get Part A and Part B without signing up. Ask whether your job coverage, or your spouse's, continues past 65 and whether its drug coverage counts as creditable.
Medicare.govThree months before
Your Initial Enrollment Period opens three months before the month you turn 65. If you aren't signed up automatically, sign up for Part A and Part B through Social Security, where you can make retirement and Medicare choices together.
SSA.govOne to two months before
Compare plans in your area and what they cost. Ask your doctors and pharmacies whether they're in network with a plan you're considering. A Medigap policy has a one-time open enrollment period that starts once you sign up for Part B and lasts six months.
Medicare.govTwo weeks before
If you were signed up automatically, Medicare mailed your welcome package and Medicare card three months before your coverage starts. Check the start date on your card and on any plan you joined.
Medicare.gov
Your Initial Enrollment Period
It lasts seven months: it starts three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months after that month. If you miss it, you may have to wait to sign up and pay a monthly late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Part B, and the penalty goes up the longer you wait.
Want the dates for every other enrollment period? They're all on the enrollment periods page.
Still working at 65
If you or your spouse are still working and covered by that employer, you can sign up any time while you're still working there, or up to eight months after the work or the job-based coverage ends, whichever happens first.
COBRA and retiree coverage don't count as coverage from a current job, and getting COBRA doesn't change when those eight months end.
If the employer has fewer than twenty employees, your job-based coverage might not pay for health services if you don't have both Part A and Part B.
Job coverage ending before you turn 65? Start with health insurance before Medicare.
Florida public retirees
If you retire from the Florida Retirement System near 65, the state plan has its own Medicare rules, and they come in a set order. You'll find them step by step on the page for state retirees.
The worksheet to bring
Print it, fill in what you can by hand and bring it when you talk with me: your timeline, your doctors and medicines, and your questions. It's just blank lines on paper, so you never type those details into this site.
Print the worksheetYour turning 65 worksheet
Fill in what you can by hand and bring it with you. Leave the rest blank.
Your timeline
- The month I turn 65
- I get Social Security benefits now, or plan to start them in
- My job coverage, or my spouse's, ends in
- The number of employees at that employer
Your doctors and medicines
- Doctors I want to keep
- Prescription drugs I take regularly
- Pharmacies I use
Your questions
Next step
- I'll talk with Jeannie on
Questions people ask
What mistakes do people make when they sign up for Medicare?
A few can cost you money or coverage. Missing your seven-month Initial Enrollment Period can mean waiting for the General Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, and paying a Part B penalty of ten percent for each full twelve months you could have signed up. COBRA and retiree coverage don't count as coverage from a current job, so they don't give you a Special Enrollment Period. Going sixty-three days or more without creditable drug coverage can add a Part D penalty. Waiting past your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period can limit your choices or raise the price. Source: Medicare.gov, 2026.
Can I have both Social Security and Medicare?
Yes. If you start Social Security benefits at least four months before you turn 65, you get Part A and Part B automatically, and Medicare mails your Medicare card three months before your coverage starts. When you sign up through Social Security, you can make your retirement and Medicare choices together and have any premiums withheld from your benefit payments. Source: Medicare.gov and SSA.gov, 2026.
Do I have to notify Social Security when I turn 65?
Not if you already get Social Security benefits at least four months before you turn 65: you get Part A and Part B automatically, and Medicare mails your welcome package with your card three months before coverage starts. If you don't get benefits yet, contact Social Security to sign up, online at SSA.gov or by phone, and Medicare mails your welcome package about two weeks after you sign up. Source: Medicare.gov and SSA.gov, 2026.
Is it a good idea to get Medicare if you're still working at 65?
It depends on the job's plan. If you or your spouse are still working and covered by that job's plan, most people don't pay a premium for Part A, so you may want it at 65, while Part B has a monthly premium, so you may want to wait. You can sign up any time while you are still working there, or within eight months after the work or the coverage ends, whichever happens first. If the employer has fewer than twenty employees, the job plan might not pay for health services unless you have both Part A and Part B, so check with that employer before you decide. Source: Medicare.gov, 2026.
What happens if I don't enroll in Medicare at 65?
If you don't have coverage from a current job, you may have to wait for the General Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, with coverage starting the month after you sign up. You may also pay a Part B penalty of ten percent for each full twelve months you could have had Part B, added to your premium for as long as you have Part B, and a Part D penalty if you go sixty-three days or more without creditable drug coverage. Source: Medicare.gov, 2026.
Do I have to sign up for Medicare at 65?
Not always. You get Part A and Part B automatically only if you already get Social Security benefits at least four months before you turn 65, and because Part B has a monthly premium, you can choose whether to keep it. If you or your spouse have coverage from a current job, Part B can wait until that work or coverage ends. Without that coverage, signing up later can mean a wait for coverage and a penalty added to your premium. Source: Medicare.gov and SSA.gov, 2026.
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