Key takeaways

  • Generally, you become eligible for Medicare at age 65, regardless of your employment status or retirement status.
  • There are exceptions to the age 65 requirement, including eligibility due to certain disabilities or a relationship with a Medicare recipient.
  • While you can begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, waiting until your full retirement age will result in a higher monthly benefit amount.

The eligibility age for Medicare is 65 years old. This applies whether or not you’re still working at the time of your 65th birthday. You don’t need to be retired to apply for Medicare.

If you have insurance through your employer when you apply for Medicare, Medicare will become your secondary insurance.

You can apply for Medicare:

  • as early as 3 months before the month you turn age 65
  • during the month you turn age 65
  • up to 3 months after the month you turn age 65

This timeframe around your 65th birthday provides a total of 7 months to enroll.

Other Medicare eligibility requirements

There are a few other Medicare eligibility criteria besides the age requirement:

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident who has lived in the United States for at least 5 years.
  • You or your spouse must’ve paid into Social Security for what amounts to 10 years or more (also referred to as having earned 40 credits), OR you must’ve paid Medicare tax while you or your spouse was an employee of the federal government.

There are a few exceptions to Medicare’s eligibility age requirement. These include:

  • Disability: If you’re younger than age 65 but you’re receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, you may be eligible for Medicare. After 24 months of receiving disability benefits, you become Medicare-eligible.
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): If you have ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), you’re eligible for Medicare as soon as your Social Security disability benefits begin. You’re not subject to the 24-month waiting period.
  • End stage renal disease (ESRD): If you have ESRD, you become Medicare eligible after a kidney transplant or 3 months after dialysis treatment begins.

Social Security retirement benefits

You can also apply for Social Security retirement benefits once you’ve turned 62. However, you’ll receive more money per month if you wait a few years.

People who start collecting retirement benefits at 62 will receive 70% of their full benefit amount. You can receive 100% of your benefit amount if you don’t start collecting until full retirement age.

The Medicare eligibility age continues to be 65 years old. If that ever changes, you might not be affected, as the change will happen in gradual increments.