To change your Medicare address, update your address with the Social Security Administration, because Medicare pulls your name, address, phone number, and date of birth directly from your Social Security record.1Social Security Administration. Manage Your Medicare Benefits You can do it online, by phone, in person, or by mail. If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, you also need to contact that plan directly, since SSA only updates your Original Medicare record.
One thing to clear up first: changing your address on Medicare.gov only updates your contact preferences on that website. Your official Medicare mailing address still has to be changed through Social Security.2Medicare. How Do I Change My Address with Medicare
Online Through My Social Security
The fastest option is your personal my Social Security account at ssa.gov. If you don’t already have one, you can create it for free. Once you’re signed in, open the My Profile tab and select the option to change your mailing address. You can also pick the date you want the change to take effect, which helps if you’re moving on a known future date.
Enter the new address carefully and double-check the ZIP code before submitting. The update applies to both your Social Security and Medicare records at once.1Social Security Administration. Manage Your Medicare Benefits U.S. citizens can also enter an international address through this same tool.3Social Security Administration. How Can I Change My Address or Direct Deposit Information for My Benefits
By Phone
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. The TTY line for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is 1-800-325-0778. Wait times are usually shorter in the morning, later in the week, and later in the month.4Social Security Administration. Contact Social Security by Phone
Have your Medicare number, Social Security number, current address, and new address ready. The representative may ask verification questions to confirm your identity before making the change.
In Person
You can also visit a local Social Security office. Find the nearest one using the office locator at ssa.gov/locator. Walk-ins are accepted, but an appointment lets you skip the line.5Social Security Administration. Field Office Locator Bring a photo ID and your Medicare card so staff can verify your identity and pull up your record.
By Mail
To submit the change in writing, send a signed and dated letter to your local Social Security office. Include your full name, Medicare number, Social Security number, previous mailing address, and complete new mailing address. Look up the office address at ssa.gov/locator. Mail is the slowest option because delivery and processing both add time.
Contact Your Medicare Advantage or Part D Plan Separately
Updating your address with SSA does not notify a private Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. You have to call the plan yourself. This matters because these plans operate within defined service areas. If your new address falls outside your plan’s service area, you lose that plan’s coverage.
When that happens, you can enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan available in your area, switch to a new standalone Part D drug plan, or drop Medicare Advantage entirely and return to Original Medicare. If you move outside your plan’s service area and don’t actively enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan during your Special Enrollment Period, you will be moved back to Original Medicare automatically.6Medicare. Special Enrollment Periods
Even when your new address stays inside your plan’s service area, telling the plan makes sure member materials, explanation of benefits statements, and other correspondence reach you.
A Move Opens a Special Enrollment Period
A permanent move gives you a Special Enrollment Period to switch Medicare Advantage or Part D plans outside the usual Annual Enrollment Period. The timing depends on when you tell your plan:
- If you notify your plan before you move, your window opens the month before the move and lasts two full months after.
- If you notify your plan after you move, your window opens the month you notify them and lasts two full months from that point.
Calling your plan before the move gives you the longest window. The same two-month timing applies whether you move outside the plan’s service area or stay inside it but gain access to new plan options at your new address.6Medicare. Special Enrollment Periods
Miss that window and you’re generally locked into your current coverage until the next Annual Enrollment Period in the fall, which can mean months without local providers or a gap in drug coverage.
If You Get Medicare Through the Railroad Retirement Board
If your Medicare comes through the Railroad Retirement Board instead of Social Security, don’t use the SSA channels. Call the RRB at 877-772-5772, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays. The system offers a callback option if wait times are long. You can also reach your regional RRB field office by mail, fax, or its secure message feature.7U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. Contact Us
If You’re Moving Outside the United States
U.S. citizens moving abroad can update their address through the my Social Security account online. Non-citizens cannot make the change online and have to contact SSA another way, through SSA’s Office of Earnings and International Operations by mail, fax, or its international phone line at 1-855-522-6936 (weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern). SSA cannot mail certain documents, such as benefit verification letters and tax statements, to foreign addresses.8Social Security Administration. Service Around the World – Office of Earnings and International Operations
Confirming the Change Went Through
After you submit the change, sign back into your my Social Security account and check that the new address appears in your profile.9Social Security Administration. my Social Security Watch for a confirmation letter from Medicare at the new address. If a few weeks go by with no confirmation and your online profile still shows the old address, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to follow up.4Social Security Administration. Contact Social Security by Phone
Setting up USPS mail forwarding when you move is a smart backup, but it isn’t a substitute for updating your record with Social Security. Forwarding expires, and some government mail may not be forwarded at all. Updating the SSA record is the only reliable way to keep Medicare correspondence coming to the right place.