Applying for Social Security retirement and Medicare Part B timing confusion - need advice fast

You should definitely note on your application that you want Medicare to start on May 1st, 2025 since that's when your current coverage ends. SSA can coordinate the timing with your retirement benefits. When I retired, I made a note specifically requesting my Medicare to start the month after my employer coverage ended, and they handled it correctly. Don't wait to apply separately later - it's easier to do it all at once.

There's a lot of misinformation about this. When you apply for Social Security retirement benefits, you CAN specify your Medicare enrollment at the same time, even months in advance. The SSA can process both together and set different start dates for each. You should: 1. Select YES for Medicare Part B on your application 2. In the remarks section, clearly state: "I want Medicare Parts A and B to begin May 1, 2025 when my employer coverage ends." 3. Keep documentation of your current insurance to prove you have creditable coverage until April 30th This way everything is in one application, and you won't risk missing your Initial Enrollment Period for Medicare.

U shud just wait and do it in december. thats what the medicare people told my friend. less chance of a mixup that way.

When I turned 65 in 2023, I was still working with employer insurance. I went ahead and applied for Medicare Part A (free) but delayed Part B until I retired in 2024. I had to fill out form CMS-L564 with my employer to prove I had coverage when I finally signed up for Part B. It was a big headache! Just include notes about your start date in your SS application - much simpler.

I tried for DAYS to reach someone at Social Security to ask this exact question when I was applying last year. The wait times were insane - I kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through and talk to an actual agent in under 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent confirmed that I should select YES for Medicare on my retirement application and note my preferred start date in the remarks section. They can process everything together and set different start dates for SS benefits and Medicare. Saved me so much stress!

My husband just went through this! We were so confused too. He turned 65 in February but didn't retire until August. Our insurance lady at work told us to make SURE we noted the requested start date for Medicare in the remarks section of his SS application. It worked fine - both parts A & B started exactly when we requested. Don't stress too much!

The WHOLE SYSTEM is designed to confuse you!!!! I answered YES to the Medicare question when I applied for SS last year and they started charging me Part B premiums THREE MONTHS before I wanted them to start! Then they claimed I never specified a start date even though I DID in the remarks section. I had to make EIGHT CALLS to get it fixed. The SSA is INCOMPETENT and they will mess up your enrollment no matter what you do!!!!

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I think I'll select YES for Medicare Part B and clearly note in the remarks section that I want both Parts A and B to start May 1st, 2025 when my employer coverage ends. I'll also make sure to save a copy of my application with all the notes. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences!

wait i'm confused about something - doesn't Medicare have to start the month you turn 65? My neighbor said you don't get to pick the start date...

Just wanted to add one more important tip - when you note your preferred Medicare start date in the remarks section, be as specific as possible. Write something like "Please start Medicare Parts A and B effective May 1, 2025. Current employer coverage (include plan name if you have it) ends April 30, 2025." Also, I'd recommend calling SSA about a week after submitting your application to confirm they processed your Medicare timing request correctly. It's much easier to fix any confusion early in the process rather than waiting until closer to your 65th birthday. Good luck with your application!

As someone new to navigating these government systems, I really appreciate how helpful this community is! Reading through all these experiences has been eye-opening. I'm still several years away from retirement myself, but seeing the different approaches and outcomes people have had with coordinating SS and Medicare timing is valuable information to file away for the future. It sounds like the key takeaways are: be very specific about your requested dates, keep detailed documentation, and follow up to confirm everything was processed correctly. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - both the success stories and the cautionary tales!

As someone who's also new to this process, I wanted to share what I learned from my research after reading all these experiences. According to the official Medicare.gov website, when you have employer coverage past age 65, you get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period that starts the month after your employment ends OR your group health coverage ends (whichever comes first). What really helped me understand this better was realizing that the SSA retirement application and Medicare enrollment can absolutely be coordinated - they're designed to work together. The key seems to be clear communication about your timeline in that remarks section. For anyone else feeling overwhelmed by this (like I was!), I found it helpful to write out my timeline on paper first: when I turn 65, when my employer coverage ends, when I want Medicare to start, when I want SS benefits to start. Having it all mapped out made it much clearer what to request in the application. This community has been such a great resource for understanding the real-world aspects that the official websites don't always explain clearly!

As someone completely new to this whole Social Security and Medicare maze, this discussion has been incredibly enlightening! I'm still about 10 years away from having to deal with any of this myself, but I'm already feeling anxious about navigating these systems when the time comes. What strikes me most is how the official government resources seem to leave out so many of these practical details that everyone's sharing here. Like the fact that you can coordinate SS retirement and Medicare enrollment in one application, or the importance of being super specific in that remarks section about your timing preferences. These are the kinds of real-world tips that make all the difference! I'm definitely bookmarking this entire thread for future reference. It's also making me realize I should probably start educating myself about these processes well before I actually need them, rather than scrambling to figure it all out at the last minute like it sounds like many people do. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - both good and bad - it's given me a much clearer picture of what to expect and how to prepare!