Part D Late Enrollment Penalty

Health Line

12-05-2025

You can sign up for a Medicare Part D drug plan when initially eligible for Original Medicare. There's a 3-month period starting when your Medicare parts A and B become active. During this time, you can enroll in Medicare Part D without a late enrollment fee.
Your monthly Part D premium includes a late enrollment penalty if you miss this time frame. This penalty is 1% of the average monthly prescription premium cost for each month you delay enrollment. In total, this works out to 12% annually.
How does Medicare calculate my Part D late enrollment penalty?
Medicare determines the late enrollment penalty by taking 1% of the national base beneficiary premium, which is $36.78 in 2025, and multiplying it by the number of months you spend without coverage.
Then, Medicare rounds this amount to the nearest 10 cents and adds it to your Part D monthly premium. Medicare recalculates this amount annually using the base premium amount for that year.
How long do I pay the Medicare Part D late enrollment penalty?
This additional charge is permanent, and every monthly premium includes it for as long as you have Medicare Part D coverage and don't enroll in a Medicare drug plan when you initially become eligible for Original Medicare.
You also incur it if you're eligible for Medicare and go 63 days or longer without creditable drug coverage. Once you enroll in a Medicare drug plan, the plan can inform you of your premium amount and whether a penalty is applicable.