Turning 65
Turning 65? Start with your dates.
Find your 7-month enrollment window, then work through the same checklist our advisors use with every new client.
Your Initial Enrollment Period calculator
Your IEP is seven months long: the three months before your 65th birthday month, the month itself, and the three months after.
- Sign up in the first three months for coverage that starts on the first of your birthday month.
- Sign up later in the window and coverage starts the first of the following month.
- Born on the 1st? Medicare counts your birthday month as the month before.
Initial Enrollment Period calculator
Pick your birth month and year to see your 7-month window.
- Mar3 before
- Apr2 before
- May1 before
- JunBirthday
- Jul1 after
- Aug2 after
- Sep3 after
- Your enrollment window
- March 1, 2027 to September 30, 2027
- Sign up by
- May 31, 2027 for coverage on June 1, 2027
- Medigap open enrollment
- June 1, 2027 to November 30, 2027
Estimate based on Social Security rules. Confirm your dates with SSA or a licensed advisor.
The turning-65 checklist
Print it, share it with your kids, or bring it to your appointment. Each stage builds on the one before.
6 months before
Gather your coverage details
- Ask HR whether your employer has 20 or more employees
- Request the creditable coverage notice for your drug plan
- List your doctors, specialists, hospitals and pharmacy
- Stop HSA contributions if you plan to enroll in Part A
3 months before
Your window opens
- Apply for Parts A and B at ssa.gov if you are not auto-enrolled
- Compare Supplement, Advantage and Part D plans
- Book a no-cost review with a licensed advisor
- Check whether you qualify for Extra Help or a Savings Program
Birthday month
Coverage begins
- Your red, white and blue Medicare card arrives by mail
- Plan ID cards arrive from your chosen carriers
- Set up premium payments or automatic Social Security deductions
- Schedule your Welcome to Medicare preventive visit
First year
Settle in and review
- Use your Medigap Open Enrollment Period if you have not chosen a Supplement
- Keep your Annual Notice of Change when it arrives in September
- Review plans during Annual Enrollment, October 15 to December 7
- Update your advisor about new prescriptions or doctors
Four expensive mistakes we help people avoid
- Assuming COBRA protects you
- COBRA and retiree coverage do not count as active employment. Delaying Part B while on COBRA can trigger a lifetime penalty.
- Skipping Part D because you take no drugs
- The Part D late penalty grows by 1 percent of the national base premium for every month without creditable coverage, for life.
- Choosing a plan by premium alone
- A $0 premium plan can cost more than a $120 plan once specialist copays, drug tiers and networks are counted.
- Missing the Medigap open window
- Your six-month guaranteed-issue window starts with Part B. After it closes, carriers in Indiana can ask health questions.
Turning-65 questions
Working past 65? Read our guide to delaying Part B.
If you already receive Social Security benefits, you will be enrolled in Parts A and B automatically and your card arrives about three months before your birthday. You can decline Part B if you have qualifying employer coverage.
No. Medicare eligibility starts at 65 regardless of your Social Security full retirement age. You can enroll in Medicare without claiming Social Security benefits.
Medicare is individual. If your younger spouse is on your employer plan and you retire, they will need other coverage, such as COBRA, the Marketplace or their own employer plan, until they turn 65.
Turning 65 soon? Let's map it out.
A licensed Beacon advisor will compare plans against your doctors, prescriptions and budget. No cost, no obligation.
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