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Medicare eligibility age and your sign-up window

Most people become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65 and have a 7-month Initial Enrollment Period around that birthday. Enter your date of birth for the first and last day of your window.

Month, day and year. It is not sent, saved or put in the address.

Try:

Your window opens

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Sign up from this day

You turn 65

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Premium-free Part A can start this month

Your window closes

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7 months in all

Enter your date of birth to see the dates.

A table of the seven months and the day coverage starts for each appears when you enter a date of birth.

Source: Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?; SSA: When to sign up for Medicare, opened on .

How a birthday on the first of the month moves the window

Four birth dates, with the windows SSA’s own birth-date tool returned when we typed them on October 11, 2026. The first-of-the-month dates start and end one month earlier than the others.

Initial Enrollment Period for four birth dates, as SSA’s tool returned them
BornYou turn 65 inEnrollment windowPart A starts
March 1, 1962February 2027Nov 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027Feb 1, 2027
March 2, 1962March 2027Dec 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027Mar 1, 2027
March 31, 1962March 2027Dec 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027Mar 1, 2027
January 1, 1962December 2026Sep 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027Dec 1, 2026

At what age am I eligible for Medicare?

Medicare is the health insurance program for people 65 or older, and most people sign up for Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance) when they are first eligible, usually when they turn 65. Before 65 you may be eligible if you have permanent kidney failure or receive Disability benefits; this page covers the age-65 rule only.

When does my Initial Enrollment Period start and end?

It lasts 7 months: it starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65. For a 65th birthday on June 15, 2027 that is March 1 to September 30, 2027. The tool above works it out for your own date of birth.

What if my birthday is on the first of the month?

Your 7-month period starts earlier: 4 months before you turn 65, ending 2 months after the month you turn 65, and coverage generally starts the first day of the month before you turn 65. Medicare’s example: with a June 1st birthday the window is February to August, and you sign up in February, March or April for coverage on May 1st. SSA’s tool gave the same shift when we typed March 1, 1962 (November 2026 to May 2027) and January 1, 1962 (September 2026 to March 2027).

When does my Medicare coverage start?

Coverage always starts on the first day of a month. Premium-free Part A starts the month you turn 65, or the month before if your birthday is on the first. For Part B, signing up before the month you turn 65 starts coverage in that month; signing up in that month or in the 3 months after starts it the next month. The table above lists each month of your window.

What happens if I miss the window?

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. If you are covered by an employer group health plan you can delay Part B, and Medicare.gov lists other Special Enrollment Periods. Check your own case there before you decide.

Do I sign up for Medicare automatically?

If you are 65 or older and receive Social Security benefits, SSA says you will be automatically enrolled in Part A. Otherwise you sign up for Part A and Part B through Social Security. If you decide to delay your Social Security retirement, SSA says to be sure to sign up for just Medicare at age 65.

Questions about medicare eligibility age

How long is the Initial Enrollment Period?

7 months: the 3 months before the month you turn 65, the month you turn 65, and the 3 months after it. For a birthday on the first of the month the window moves one month earlier but is still 7 months.

Can I sign up before my birthday?

Yes. The window opens 3 months before the month you turn 65, or 4 months before you turn 65 if your birthday is on the first. If you sign up before the month you turn 65, Part B coverage starts in the month you turn 65.

Is Medicare at 65 the same as Social Security full retirement age?

No. Medicare eligibility is at 65 whatever your Social Security full retirement age, which is 66 to 67 for people born from 1943 on. You can wait to start Social Security retirement and still sign up for Medicare in your window.

Do I still need Part B if I am still working?

SSA says you can delay Part B if you are already covered through an employer group health plan. Whether to delay depends on your plan, so ask the plan and check Medicare.gov before you decide.

What window does SSA give for someone born on February 29?

SSA’s birth-date tool returned November 1, 2028 to May 31, 2029 for a birth date of February 29, 1964, and this page shows the same window for that date.

Does this page tell me my premium?

No. It shows only the dates. Medicare.gov and Social Security publish premiums and decide your case; this site shows no dollar amount.

Related tools

More ways to check your federal retirement ages.

Sources: what this page states and where we read it

What this page states, the official page it was read on, the link and the day it was opened
What the page saysOfficial page and where on itOpened
Medicare is the health insurance program for people 65 or older; most people sign up when first eligible, usually at 65.Medicare.gov: When can I sign up for Medicare?Page introduction
Before 65 you may be eligible for Medicare if you have permanent kidney failure or receive Disability benefits; this site covers the age-65 rule only.SSA: Sign up for MedicarePage introduction
The Initial Enrollment Period lasts 7 months: it starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after it.Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?Section “Your first chance to sign up (Initial Enrollment Period)”
If your birthday is on the first of the month, the period starts 4 months before you turn 65 and ends 2 months after the month you turn 65.Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?Expander “My birthday is on the first of the month”
SSA’s own tool returns the same windows for birthdays on the 1st, the 2nd and the last day of a month, and for January 1 and February 29.SSA: When to sign up for MedicareTool “Enter your birth date to see when you can first enroll”, run on 2026-10-11
Premium-free Part A starts the month you turn 65 (the month before, if your birthday is on the 1st).Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?Section “When your coverage starts”
Part B starts the month you turn 65 if you sign up before that month, and the next month if you sign up in that month or in the 3 months after.Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?Table under “Part B (and premium-Part A)”
Missing the 7-month period can mean a monthly late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Part B, and it grows the longer you wait.Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?Section “Avoid the penalty”
People 65 or older who receive Social Security benefits are automatically enrolled in Part A.SSA: When to sign up for MedicarePage introduction
You can delay Part B if you are already covered by an employer group health plan.SSA: Sign up for MedicareBox “Sign up for Medicare”
If you delay Social Security retirement, you can still sign up for Medicare at 65 without taking the retirement benefit.SSA: Delayed Retirement CreditsText below the table

Not confirmed: Special Enrollment Periods, Part D and Medicare Advantage timing, premiums and eligibility before 65 are not calculated here. Medicare.gov decides your case.

General information from official sources, not advice. Rules can change by law, and the agency decides your case. Confirm your dates with the Social Security Administration, Medicare or the Office of Personnel Management before you decide. Nothing you type leaves your browser.