How to apply for Medicare Extra Help before open enrollment

Medicare open enrollment starts October 15, and the drug plans you will compare are priced at full cost unless Extra Help is already attached to your record. The wrong assumption is that the subsidy comes with Medicare on its own. It does not, unless you already get Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income or a Medicare Savings Program. Everyone else has to apply through Social Security, and the sooner the approval lands, the sooner your plan choice reflects the real prices.

Check the 2026 limits against your income and savings

As of September 2026, Medicare.gov lists the Extra Help limits for 2026 as income of $23,940 and resources of $18,090 for a single person, and income of $32,460 and resources of $36,100 for a married couple living together. Income and resources are two separate tests, and both have to hold. The Medicare.gov drug cost help page links to the list of what counts as a resource, so read that before you rule yourself out.

Skip the form if you already qualify automatically

You get Extra Help without applying if you have full Medicaid coverage, receive Supplemental Security Income, or a state Medicare Savings Program pays your Part B premium. If your monthly income is under the Medicare Savings Program limits, which for 2026 start at $1,350 a month for a single person under the QMB tier and run to $1,816 under QI, apply for that program through your state Medicaid office instead. Each of the three tiers brings Extra Help with it, and the Medicare Savings Program also covers the Part B premium.

Apply through Social Security

Everyone else uses the Social Security application for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs. Start at the Social Security Extra Help page, which is the page Medicare.gov sends applicants to, or open the online application directly. The application requires session cookies to be enabled in your browser, so if it refuses to load, that is the first thing to check. To apply by phone, or to get help finishing the online form, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, or 1-800-325-0778 for TTY, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Get free help from your state SHIP

Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program that helps with this application at no charge. Find yours through the SHIP locator or call the national center at 877-839-2675. A counselor can check the limits with you, help gather the income and savings figures, and file the form on the phone or in person.

Pick or change a drug plan once the approval arrives

If you have no drug plan when Extra Help is approved, Medicare enrolls you in one automatically, and you can pick a different plan if you want. Under Extra Help the plan premium and deductible are $0, and for 2027 Medicare.gov lists copays of up to $5.80 for a generic and $14.40 for a brand-name drug, dropping to $0 once your total drug costs reach $2,400. Anyone with Extra Help or Medicaid can change plans once a calendar month, with the change taking effect on the first of the next month, so you are not locked to the October 15 to December 7 window that other people face. How to compare plans is covered in our guide to changing your Medicare plan in open enrollment.

If your income or savings sit just above the limits. Apply anyway. The limits in this guide are the ones Medicare.gov publishes, but the application is the only thing that produces a decision, and a counselor at your SHIP can tell you what does not count.

If you lose Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program during the year. The monthly plan change right applies in that case too, and you can file the Social Security application on your own to keep the subsidy.

Sources. Help with drug costs, Medicare.gov, Medicare Savings Programs, Medicare.gov, Special enrollment periods, Medicare.gov, Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs, Social Security, Extra Help online application, SHIP locator.