---
title: "Turning 65 Checklist: Medicare Window, Papers and Accounts"
description: "Turning 65: the seven-month Medicare enrollment window, what to decide about Social Security, and the power of attorney, health directive and beneficiary…"
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/guides/turning-65-paperwork-checklist"
---

Guide · Turning 65

# Turning 65 paperwork checklist

Sixty-five brings a hard deadline (the Medicare enrollment window) and a good moment for the documents your family would need if you couldn't act for yourself. Here's what to do in the months before and after your birthday.

**Quick answer.** Medicare's initial enrollment period runs seven months: three months before your 65th birthday month, the month itself and three months after. Sign up in the first three months for coverage that starts in your birthday month. Then update your power of attorney, health care directive, will and beneficiary forms.

## The Medicare window

According to the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner's Medicare page ([source](https://www.insurance.wa.gov/insurance-resources/medicare/medicare-basics/when-can-i-sign-medicare)):

- The initial enrollment period is seven months around your 65th birthday, from three months before your birthday month to three months after.
- Sign up in the three months before your birthday month and coverage starts the first day of that month. Sign up during it or after and coverage starts the first day of the next month.
- Miss it, without a special enrollment period, and the general enrollment period is January 1 to March 31, with coverage starting the month after and a possible late penalty.

If you're still working with employer coverage, ask your plan administrator before deciding not to enroll. Once you're on a drug plan, our [Part D out-of-pocket cap tracker](/tools/medicare-part-d-out-of-pocket-cap-tracker) helps you watch spending.

## Social Security is a separate decision

You can sign up for Medicare without claiming Social Security. The [claiming age comparison](/tools/guides/social-security-claiming-age-comparison) shows what waiting does to the monthly amount.

## The documents your family would need

- **A durable power of attorney** for money and property. See [power of attorney requirements by state](/notary/power-of-attorney-requirements-by-state).
- **A health care directive** naming who decides if you can't. See [living wills and health care proxies](/notary/documents/living-will-and-healthcare-proxy).
- **A current will**, and **beneficiary forms** on retirement accounts and life insurance that match it.
- **A list** of accounts, policies, the deed, the car title, online logins and where the originals are kept.

If the family will be together over the holidays, it's a good week to talk it through; see [the Thanksgiving paperwork talk](/tools/guides/thanksgiving-family-paperwork-talk).

General information checked November 10, 2026. A checklist, not legal, insurance or benefits advice. We are notaries, not lawyers: we can witness signatures and notarize, but we can't tell you which document to sign or prepare one for you.

## Sources

- [Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner: When can I sign up for Medicare?](https://www.insurance.wa.gov/insurance-resources/medicare/medicare-basics/when-can-i-sign-medicare)

Reach families handling estates, aging parents and life changes who read this guide: [advertise here](/advertise#family).

For this stage

A family paperwork binder, caregiver records, and a plain-English book for families planning care in New Jersey.

- [Family Protection Bundle](/toolkits/family-protection-bundle), $39
- [Caregiver Bundle](/toolkits/caregiver-bundle), $35
- [Caring for an Aging Parent in New Jersey (ebook)](/toolkits/nj-aging-parent-care-ebook), $9.99

## Questions

**When can I sign up for Medicare?**

During a seven-month initial enrollment period around your 65th birthday: the three months before your birthday month, the month itself and the three months after. Signing up in the three months before means coverage starts the first day of your birthday month.

**What if I miss it?**

Without a special enrollment period, the general enrollment period runs January 1 to March 31 each year, coverage starts the month after you sign up, and you may owe a late enrollment penalty.

**I'm still working with employer coverage. Do I have to sign up at 65?**

Not always; it depends on the size of the employer and the plan. Ask your plan administrator and the Social Security Administration before you skip enrollment, because a gap can mean penalties.

**Should I claim Social Security at 65 too?**

Medicare and Social Security are separate decisions. Our Social Security claiming age comparison shows the monthly difference between claiming ages.

**Which legal papers matter most at this age?**

A durable power of attorney for money and a health care directive that names a decision-maker, plus an up-to-date will and beneficiary forms. They're what your family needs if you're ever unable to act for yourself.

## Signing a power of attorney or health care directive?

[Book a mobile notary](/notary/mobile-notary)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)