Medicare AEP 2026 Dates for 2027 Plans: Oct 15 to Dec 7

Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is open. It runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and the plan must receive an enrollment request by December 7 for coverage to start January 1, 2027. Marketing for 2027 plans has been allowed since October 1, 2026.

People call this season AEP 2026, for the year it happens, and AEP 2027, for the plan year it sells. Both names refer to the same window.

AEP 2026 key dates for 2027 plans

Carrier training, contracting, and application cutoffs are not on this list because each carrier sets its own. The worksheet below helps you track them.

Special Enrollment Periods agents see during AEP

Some people you meet during AEP also qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). This table covers the SEPs tied to moves, lost coverage, Medicaid and Extra Help, and star ratings. Each SEP limits which plans a person can join, so read the cited rule and the carrier's enrollment instructions before using one.

During AEP, the effective date is often the reason to use an SEP. An AEP election starts January 1. An SEP election generally starts the first of the month after the plan receives it, under 42 CFR 422.68(d). When a person qualifies for more than one period, the plan must let them choose the one that gives the effective date they want, under 42 CFR 422.68(g) and 42 CFR 423.40(f). Someone who moved in October and enrolls in November can ask for December 1 coverage under the SEP or January 1 coverage under AEP. Note which period and effective date the beneficiary chose on the application.

The 5-star SEP for plans rated 5 stars for 2026 ends November 30, 2026.

What agents can and can't do during AEP

Every personal marketing appointment needs a Scope of Appointment (SOA) agreed and recorded before it starts. For 2027 plans there is no 48-hour wait between the SOA and the appointment. The contract year 2027 final rule applies that change to contract year 2027 marketing, beginning October 1, 2026. It doesn't say how the change applies to an appointment about 2026 plans, such as an SEP enrollment with December coverage, so ask your carrier whether the old 48-hour wait still applies there. The Scope of Appointment guide covers the form, how long it lasts, and when you need a new one.

At a marketing or sales event, you can give presentations, accept applications, and collect SOAs for later appointments. At an educational event, you can answer questions people ask and collect SOAs and business reply cards. You can't market specific plans or take applications there. Both rules are in 42 CFR 422.2264(c).

When the contact is unsolicited, 42 CFR 422.2264(a) rules out:

• Door-to-door visits, including leaving materials, unless an appointment at the home was already scheduled
• Approaching people in parking lots, hallways, or lobbies
• Direct messages on social media
• Cold calls, robocalls, texts, or voicemails, including calls based on referrals and calls to people who attended a sales event without their permission

A call is not unsolicited when the beneficiary started the contact or gave consent. Returning a call, or calling someone who sent a business reply card asking to be contacted, is allowed.

The marketing rules in 42 CFR 422.2263(b) also bar cash inducements, meals for prospective enrollees, and gifts above nominal value. You can't market non-health products, such as annuities, during a Medicare sales presentation or personal marketing appointment. Carriers add their own requirements for agents on top of these, so keep each carrier's agent guide at hand.

When can marketing for the 2027 plan year begin?

October 1, 2026. 42 CFR 422.2263(a) lets Medicare Advantage organizations begin marketing the next year's plans on October 1, and 42 CFR 423.2263(a) sets the same date for Part D plans. On the AHIP-style true or false question, "An agent can start to market 2027 MA, MA-PD, or PDP plans on October 1," the answer is true.

From October 1, current-year and next-year plans can be marketed at the same time, as long as the materials clearly say which year they describe. That still matters during AEP. A beneficiary using an SEP may be choosing 2026 coverage that starts in December, while everyone else is choosing 2027 plans. Label saved plan documents with the carrier, product, and plan year so the right one reaches the right conversation.

October 1 did not open enrollment. AEP elections began October 15.

When does AEP start and end?

AEP runs October 15 to December 7 every year, for coverage that starts the following January 1. 42 CFR 422.62(a)(2) sets the window for Medicare Advantage, and 42 CFR 423.38(b) sets the same window for Part D. During AEP, Medicare.gov says people can join, drop, or switch Medicare Advantage plans with or without drug coverage, move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and join, drop, or switch a Part D plan.

Agents who also sell ACA plans have an overlapping window. HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, per CMS's July 27, 2026 statement. The FFM guide covers the December 15 date and the separate annual registration.

What is the last day to submit an AEP enrollment application?

December 7, 2026, a Monday. Medicare.gov says the plan must get the request to join by December 7 for coverage to start January 1, 2027.

The test is when the plan receives the request. Follow the carrier's enrollment instructions and confirm receipt. A submission you have not seen acknowledged is not yet a received request. Carriers publish their own end-of-AEP submission instructions, and those are carrier rules, separate from the CMS date. Read them for each carrier you sell before the final week.

Keep submission and acceptance evidence accessible through the end of AEP. A useful follow-up list identifies the beneficiary's request, carrier reference, submission date, and any unresolved carrier response. Use your approved systems and recordkeeping procedures for those records. In the last two weeks, work that list for missing information and rejected submissions that still need attention.

When is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period?

January 1 to March 31, 2027. Under 42 CFR 422.62(a)(3), a person enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan may make one election during the first three months of the year, either to join another MA plan or to return to Original Medicare. The related opportunity to choose Part D coverage comes with it. Medicare.gov says coverage starts the first of the month after the plan gets the request.

This period does not let someone in Original Medicare newly join MA.

The OEP marketing rules prohibit targeting OEP as an opportunity for additional sales or sending unsolicited OEP marketing. They allow responses to beneficiary requests and marketing focused on other lawful enrollment opportunities, such as people aging into Medicare. During OEP, the same rule also bars plans from calling or otherwise contacting former enrollees who chose a new plan during AEP.

Before acting on a first-quarter request, identify the beneficiary's current coverage and available election period. That determines the available changes and effective date. The calendar date alone does not.

Put carrier deadlines beside the public calendar

Marketing and enrollment dates come from federal rules. Training, contracting, readiness, and application cutoffs come from each carrier. They are not federal deadlines.

There is no universal AHIP-first sequence. UnitedHealthcare's 2027 certification paths, for example, include its own Standard path as well as AHIP and NABIP transfer paths. The AHIP guide explains how to choose accepted training.

Use a record like this for each carrier. It is a suggested worksheet:

Appointment filing also depends on state and carrier rules. Aetna's producer page says that, as permitted in certain states, it orders appointments after the first sale. Confirm carrier authorization and the filing process instead of assuming every producer follows the same sequence.

If a producer is still incomplete now that AEP is open, find what is missing and ask the carrier whether it accepts later completion. An unresolved requirement can delay that producer's work. It does not by itself rule them out for the rest of the season. Agencies handling those exceptions can use the Medicare onboarding guide.