June 17th 2024
By Ari Parker
If you miss your Initial Enrollment Period, you can enroll in Medicare during the General Enrollment Period, but you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty.
With different deadlines and enrollment periods, it can be hard to know exactly when to sign up for Medicare. Sometimes people feel like Medicare deliberately makes things more confusing! With different Parts and plans, and different, yet similar names for the various enrollment periods, it's common to get confused. In this guide, we'll focus on Medicare's General Enrollment Period to clear up any confusion around it and guide you toward the right time to sign up for Medicare.
The Medicare General Enrollment Period occurs between January 1st and March 31st of each year. You can enroll in Medicare during this period if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period.
If you sign up for Medicare during the General Enrollment Period, it's likely you'll have to pay a monthly late enrollment penalty. We'll go over everything you need to know about this Medicare enrollment period in this guide, so you know what to expect.
You can sign up during the Medicare General Enrollment Period if you miss your Initial Enrollment Period.
The General Enrollment Period occurs every year from January 1 to March 31, and your Medicare coverage starts the month after you sign up.
You'll most likely have to pay a lifetime monthly penalty on top of your Medicare Part B premium if you enroll during the General Enrollment Period.
When trying to understand the General Enrollment Period, it's helpful to first understand the Initial Enrollment Period and Special Enrollment Periods.
The Initial Enrollment Period is a 7-month window around your 65th birthday when you can enroll in Medicare Part B and Part A. This is when most people are first able to sign up for Medicare.
If you continue working past 65, you may be able to use the Part B Special Enrollment Period to sign up later, without penalty. Note that most people sign up for Part A when they turn 65, regardless of their employment status because Part A is usually free! We also recommend comparing your employer coverage to Medicare to determine which will minimize your healthcare costs. It's common for Medicare to provide better value!
Medicare's rules encourage you to sign up during one of these two periods. For both of these enrollment periods, you would avoid late enrollment penalties.
So, what happens if you don't sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period and aren't eligible for a Special Enrollment Period? That's where the General Enrollment Period comes into play.
The General Enrollment Period occurs between January 1st and March 31st of each year. You should use this period if you didn't enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period and you don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. If you enroll during this period, you'll likely have to pay a monthly penalty on top of your premium for enrolling in Medicare late.
If you sign up for Medicare Part B during the General Enrollment Period, your coverage will begin on the first day of the month after you enroll.
January 1 through March 31 is also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP). It's easy to mix the two up since they run at the same time. But they serve completely different purposes.
The General Enrollment Period is for people who have never enrolled in Medicare Part A or Part B and missed their Initial Enrollment Period. It's a first-time sign-up window.
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is for people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and want to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. You must already have Medicare to use the MA OEP—it is not a way to enroll in Medicare for the first time.
During your Initial Enrollment Period, you can sign up for Medicare Part B and Part A. Most people qualify for premium-free Part A. If you do, you won't have to pay any Part A late enrollment penalties. In any case, we've listed both penalties below just so you have all the information. Keep in mind that penalty charges can change yearly just like Medicare premiums.
On top of your Part B premium, you'll pay 10% of the Part B premium for each 12-month period that you should have had Medicare Part B.
This penalty lasts for the duration of your Medicare coverage.
If you missed signing up for Part B for two full years, that's two 12-month periods. This would mean you owe a penalty of 20%. The Medicare Part B premium for 2026 is $202.90, so your total late enrollment penalty would be $40.58. This would make your total Part B premium $243.48 per month in 2026.
On top of your monthly premium, you'll pay an extra 10% of your Part A premium.
This penalty will last for twice the number of years you waited to sign up for Part A.
Remember that if you qualify for premium-free Part A, you won't owe a late enrollment penalty, even if you sign up late. If you don't qualify for $0 Part A, depending on how long you've worked, your Part A premium will either be $311 or $565 each month in 2026. If you waited to sign up after two years, your penalty would last for four years.
You can avoid Medicare late enrollment penalties by ensuring you sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period or a Special Enrollment Period.
Yes. The General Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31 each year, so February and March are both valid times to enroll if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period. Your coverage will start the first day of the month after you sign up.
If you miss the General Enrollment Period, you'll have to wait until the next one, which starts January 1 of the following year. In the meantime, you'll remain without Medicare coverage, which can leave you exposed to high out-of-pocket medical costs. Missing the GEP can also extend the period used to calculate your late enrollment penalty.
The General Enrollment Period applies to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It is not a window to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan or a Part D prescription drug plan on its own. However, once you enroll in Part B during the GEP, you can then sign up for a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Your enrollment in those plans will start the same month your Part B coverage begins.
The GEP is for people who are eligible for Medicare but missed their Initial Enrollment Period and don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. This can happen if you delayed Medicare enrollment but later lost employer coverage after the 8-month Special Enrollment Period window had already closed, or if you simply weren't aware you needed to sign up.
In most cases, yes. If you had a gap in creditable coverage and missed your Initial Enrollment Period, a late enrollment penalty will apply. There are limited exceptions, such as if you were enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program or had other qualifying circumstances. A licensed Medicare Advisor can help you determine whether any exceptions apply to your situation.
Getting help from a licensed Medicare agent can help you minimize your costs—as well as your time spent researching. Don't risk missing the Medicare deadlines! A licensed Medicare Advisor at Chapter can help you figure out the best time to enroll in Medicare, compare plans that work for you, and keep track of other important Medicare information. Get in touch with an agent at 855-900-2427 or book a time to chat today.
Sources
Medicare.gov. When does Medicare coverage start? https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-does-medicare-coverage-start
Social Security Administration. When to sign up for Medicare. https://www.ssa.gov/medicare/plan/when-to-sign-up
This article was last updated on March 13, 2026
