How Do I Make a Medicare.gov Account to Check My Claims?

What this helps with: Making your own free account on Medicare.gov, so you can see your claims, get your Medicare letters by email, and save your drug list for Open Enrollment.

This guide shows how to use the website. It doesn’t give advice about your coverage. For questions about your Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY: 1-877-486-2048.

Why it helps

With a Medicare account, you can:

• See your Original Medicare claims (Part A and Part B). Most show up within a day after Medicare processes them.
• Get your claims letters by email. These letters are called Medicare Summary Notices. They are not bills.
• Save your drugs and pharmacies. Then Plan Finder fills them in for you during Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7).
• Print a copy of your Medicare card.
• See your premiums, and pay online if Medicare sends you a bill.

Checking your claims is a good way to catch fraud. Look for visits, tests, or equipment you never got.

Have a Medicare Advantage Plan or a drug plan? Those claims come from your plan, not Medicare.gov. Read the Explanation of Benefits your plan sends, or sign in to your plan’s own website.

Before you start

• You need your Medicare card. It has your Medicare Number and the date your coverage started. You can’t make an account without them.
• Set aside 15 to 30 minutes. You only have to prove who you are once.
• Have these ready:
  • Your own email address. Medicare says not to use one you share with a spouse or anyone else. Each person needs their own account.
  • A photo ID, like a driver’s license, state ID, or passport.
  • Your Social Security number.
  • A phone or computer with a camera, if you want to prove who you are online.
• It’s free. No one should charge you to make a Medicare account.
• Do it yourself, or with a trusted family member sitting next to you. Never let a caller “help” you set it up.

Step 1: Go to the real website

1. Open your web browser and type the address yourself: Medicare.gov
   • Don’t use a link from a text, email, or ad.
2. Check the address bar. The real site starts with https://www.medicare.gov/.
3. Tap Log in/Create Account.

Step 2: Pick how you’ll sign in

Medicare uses a free sign-in partner to check who you are. You only need one. Medicare says these partners can’t sell your data, and your health details stay with Medicare.

• Login.gov: Run by the government. It also works for Social Security. You can prove who you are in person at a U.S. Post Office.
• ID.me: Also works for the IRS and Social Security. You can prove who you are in person at places like a UPS Store, or on a video call.
• CLEAR: Used at airports. You need a cell phone for this one.
• Already have one of these from Social Security or another government website? Use it. You don’t need a new one.

Tip: Login.gov and ID.me don’t need a cell phone.

Step 3: Make your account

1. Tap the partner you picked. You’ll move to that partner’s website. That’s normal.
2. Sign in, or make a new sign-in with your email and a password.
3. Prove who you are. Online, you’ll usually:
   • Take a picture of your photo ID.
   • Type in your Social Security number.
   • Take a photo or short video of yourself.
4. When you go back to Medicare.gov, type your Medicare Number and coverage start date from your card.
5. Your account is ready. You won’t have to prove who you are again each time you sign in.

Already had a Medicare.gov username and password? You can still use it for now. If you link your account to Login.gov, ID.me, or CLEAR, your old username and password stop working. Sign in with the partner from then on.

Step 4: Check your claims

1. Sign in at Medicare.gov.
2. Look for your claims on your account page. Each one shows the date, who billed Medicare, and what Medicare paid.
3. Compare them to your calendar and your receipts.
4. See something you didn’t get? First call your doctor’s office. It may be a mistake. If it still looks wrong, call 1-800-MEDICARE.

Step 5: Get your letters by email (optional)

1. Sign in, then go to My account settings.
2. Under Email and document settings, tap Edit next to Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs).
3. Choose Electronically, then tap Save Changes.

Now you’ll get an email when a new notice is ready, instead of waiting for one in the mail. You can do the same for the yearly Medicare & You handbook.

Tip: It’s safest to sign in by typing Medicare.gov yourself, rather than tapping a link in an email.

Stay safe from Medicare scams

• Medicare won’t call you out of the blue to ask for your Medicare Number or to “set up” your account.
• Medicare.gov and its sign-in partners are free. Anyone who wants money to make your account is a scammer.
• Don’t give your Medicare Number to a caller, a text, or a website you reached from an ad.
• Got a call you’re not sure about? Hang up. Then call 1-800-MEDICARE yourself.

More warning signs are in our guide to Medicare scams.

If something goes wrong

• The ID photos won’t go through. Try in person instead: Login.gov at a U.S. Post Office, or ID.me at places like a UPS Store. Start online first to get your code.
• I don’t have a computer or smartphone. Call 1-800-MEDICARE for help. Your local library may also have computers you can use.
• I share an email with my spouse. Make a new email address of your own first. Each person needs their own account.
• I lost my Medicare card. Once you’re signed in, you can print a copy. Can’t sign in? Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.
• I’m stuck on the sign-in partner’s website. Contact that partner’s help center. Medicare’s help page links to each one.

Official sources

• Medicare: Your account log-in options
• Medicare: Log in to (or create) your Medicare account
• Medicare: Go digital (account features, electronic notices)
• Medicare: Checking the status of a claim
• Medicare: “Medicare Summary Notice” (MSN)
• CMS: Medicare.gov Enhanced Log In fact sheet, Mar 3, 2026
• Medicare: Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse

Last checked: Oct 26, 2026

This is general help, not legal, financial, or medical advice. It covers the U.S. Medicare.gov website only. For questions about your coverage, call 1-800-MEDICARE.