Starting Medicare at 65: your Initial Enrollment Period
Your Initial Enrollment Period is seven months: the three months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month, and the three months after. Since January 2023, coverage starts no later than the month after you sign up:
| When you sign up | When Part B (and premium Part A) starts |
|---|---|
| Any of the 3 months before your birthday month | The first day of your birthday month |
| Your birthday month | The first day of the next month |
| Any of the 3 months after your birthday month | The first day of the month after you sign up |
Example: you turn 65 on July 15. Sign up in April, May or June and coverage starts July 1. Sign up in July and it starts August 1. Sign up in September and it starts October 1.
Part A with no premium is different: it starts the month you turn 65 (or earlier if you sign up later, back up to six months, but not before the month you turned 65).
If your birthday is on the 1st
Social Security counts you as reaching an age on the day before your birthday. So if you were born on the 1st, you reach 65 in the month before your birthday month, and your whole Initial Enrollment Period moves one month earlier. Born on August 1? You're treated as turning 65 in July: sign up by June and Medicare starts July 1.
Automatic enrollment
If you already get Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits when you turn 65, you're enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically, and coverage starts the first day of your birthday month (the month before, if your birthday is on the 1st). Your Medicare card arrives about three months ahead. If you're still working with job-based coverage, you can choose to return the card and delay Part B; see Do I need Part B if I'm still working?
Signing up later
- General Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31): coverage starts the first day of the month after you sign up. A late enrollment penalty may apply.
- Special Enrollment Period after job-based coverage ends: you have eight months after the job or coverage ends, whichever is first. Coverage generally starts the month after you sign up, or up to three months later if you ask.
- Other Special Enrollment Periods, such as losing AHCCCS or an emergency that kept you from signing up: coverage generally starts the month after you sign up.
Signing up in Arizona
You sign up with Social Security online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or at a Social Security office in Arizona. If you qualify for AHCCCS, you can apply for a Medicare Savings Program through Health-e-Arizona Plus. Step by step: How do I sign up for Medicare in Arizona? and Turning 65 in Arizona.
A licensed insurance agent with Benefits Life can help you line up a Medigap, Medicare Advantage or Part D plan to start when your Medicare does, at no cost to you, at (602) SENIORS (602-736-4677), TTY 711.
Related questions
How do I sign up for Medicare in Arizona?
Automatic enrollment, applying and forms.
Do I need Part B if I'm still working?
Delaying Part B with job-based coverage.
When can I buy Medigap in Arizona?
Your Medigap window starts with Part B.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — When does Medicare coverage start?
- Social Security POMS — HI 00805.015, Initial Enrollment Period
- Social Security POMS — HI 00805.165, When a coverage period begins
- Social Security POMS — HI 00805.153, Prior month attainment rule (birthdays on the 1st)
- Social Security Administration — Medicare
- Medicare.gov — When can I sign up for Medicare?
Frequently asked questions
My birthday is on the 1st. When does my Medicare start?
Social Security considers you 65 on the day before your birthday, so if you were born on the 1st, you reach 65 in the month before. Your Initial Enrollment Period starts and ends a month earlier, and if you sign up early, coverage starts the first day of the month before your birthday month.
I signed up for Part B during the General Enrollment Period. When does it start?
The first day of the month after you sign up. For example, if you sign up in February, Part B starts March 1. You may owe a late enrollment penalty.
When does Medicare start if I'm on Social Security disability?
You're enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically after you get disability benefits for 24 months, and your card arrives in the mail about three months before coverage starts. People with ALS get Medicare the month their disability benefits begin.
When does a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan start?
If you join during your Initial Enrollment Period before you turn 65, the plan starts when your Part A and Part B start. If you join during the fall Annual Enrollment Period, it starts January 1. For most other windows, it starts the first day of the month after the plan gets your request.
Medicare in your Arizona county
Plans, local agents and help, county by county: Apache · Cochise · Coconino · Gila · Graham · Greenlee · La Paz · Maricopa · Mohave · Navajo · Pima · Pinal · Santa Cruz · Yavapai · Yuma
