No calendar window is open on the date you checked.
A Special Enrollment Period may apply
- Special Enrollment Period — 5-star plan
December 8 – November 30
If a 5-star Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is offered where you live, you may switch to that plan once during this span. This form cannot see star ratings. Confirm on Medicare.gov.
Other windows are not open on this date
- Initial Enrollment Period
The seven months around the month you first became eligible
If you already have Medicare, this first window is behind you. A fall change uses Annual Enrollment. - Initial Coverage Election Period
When you first could join a Medicare Advantage plan
If you already have Medicare, a later Advantage change uses Annual Enrollment, Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, or a Special Enrollment Period. - General Enrollment Period
January 1 – March 31, 2026
If you missed Initial Enrollment and you do not have a Special Enrollment Period, you can sign up for Part A and Part B during these dates. Coverage usually starts the month after you enroll, and a late penalty can apply. These months are also Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, which is a different window.This downloads a calendar file to your phone or computer. It does not enroll you.
- Annual Enrollment (AEP)
October 15 – December 7, 2026
If you already have Medicare, this is the yearly window to change Medicare Advantage or Part D for January 1. It is not Medigap Open Enrollment.This downloads a calendar file to your phone or computer. It does not enroll you.
- Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment
January 1 – March 31, 2026
If you start the year in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may make one change to another Advantage plan or back to Original Medicare (with Part D if you need it).This downloads a calendar file to your phone or computer. It does not enroll you.
- Medigap Open Enrollment
Six months from the month Part B starts, if you are 65 or older
Enter a Part B start date to see the dates. This is not Annual Enrollment and not the California Birthday Rule. Under 65, the rule is different. - California Medigap Birthday Rule
60 days starting on your birthday
This window is only if you already have a Medicare Supplement in California. It is not a way to leave a Medicare Advantage plan. - Special Enrollment Period — job coverage
While the job coverage lasts, and typically 8 months after the job or the coverage ends, whichever is first
Coverage from a current employer of 20 or more people, including a working spouse, may let you delay Part B. COBRA usually does not extend this window. Part D uses a shorter clock, often two months. Get the proof in writing. This is not a determination. - Special Enrollment Period — you moved
Often the month before the move through two months after it
A move out of your plan’s service area can let you pick a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. The exact months depend on when you tell the plan. Confirm the dates for your move. - Special Enrollment Period — Extra Help or Medi-Cal
Once a month, if you have Extra Help or Medicaid
People with Extra Help, Medi-Cal, or a Medicare Savings Program may switch to Original Medicare and a stand-alone Part D plan, or switch stand-alone Part D plans, once a month. This does not let you join a new Medicare Advantage plan. Some people with full Medi-Cal can also join certain integrated Dual Special Needs Plans once a month. A government agency decides whether you qualify. This form does not. - Special Enrollment Period — your plan is ending
The dates in the letter from Medicare or the plan
If your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is leaving Medicare or leaving your area, the notice gives the window. Do not guess those dates from this form. - Special Enrollment Period — trial right
During the first 12 months in a Medicare Advantage plan, in the situations Medicare allows
In some first-year cases you can drop Medicare Advantage and return to Original Medicare, and you may have a right to buy a Supplement without health questions. There is more than one trial right. Confirm which one fits before you drop a plan. - Special Enrollment Period — nursing home or other institution
While you live in a qualifying institution, and for up to two months after you leave
A move into or out of a nursing home or similar institution can open a window to join or change a plan. The facility has to qualify. Confirm that on Medicare.gov.
Checking a box does not approve a Special Enrollment Period. Medicare or Social Security decides whether that situation qualifies. This is a sketch, not a decision from Medicare or Social Security. Confirm the window that fits on Medicare.gov or with Social Security.