Easy Pay lets you set up electronic, automatic payments directly from your bank account. Anyone who pays a monthly premium for Original Medicare can sign up for Easy Pay.

Not everyone with Part A pays a premium, but those who do pay monthly. People who buy Part B typically pay premiums quarterly.

Easy Pay is a free program that allows people with Part A or B plans to make recurring, automatic premium payments directly from their checking or savings accounts.

To sign up for Medicare Easy Pay, print and complete the Authorization Agreement for Preauthorized Payments form (SF-5510). It’s available in English and Spanish.

You can also call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY: 1-877-486-2048) to have the form mailed to you.

When you’re ready to fill out the form, have your bank information and your red, white, and blue Medicare card handy.

Here are some tips to help you complete the form:

  • The “Agency Name” should be “Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”
  • The “Individual/Organization Name” is your name the way it looks on your Medicare card.
  • Your “Agency Account Identification Number” is your 11-character Medicare Number from your Medicare card.
  • The “Type of Payment” should be “Medicare Premiums.”
  • Your “Nine-Digit Routing Number” is the number from the bottom left corner of your check.
  • The “Account Title” is the name of the checking or savings account holder.
  • The “Account Number” is the checking or savings account number. Don’t use spaces or symbols.
  • The “Signature and Title of Representative” should be completed only if someone at your bank helps you complete the form.

If you’re using a checking account for automatic payments, you must include a blank, voided check in the envelope.

Mail your completed documentation to:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Premium Collection Center
P.O. Box 979098
St. Louis, MO 63197-9000

It may take Medicare 6 to 8 weeks to process your request.

When processing for Medicare Easy Pay is complete, you will receive what looks like a Medicare Premium Bill, but it will be marked, “This is not a bill.” This is just a statement notifying you that the premium will be deducted from your bank account.

From that point on, your Medicare premiums will be deducted from your bank account automatically. These payments will be listed on your bank statement as Automatic Clearing House (ACH) transactions and occur around the 20th of each month.

Your first automatic payment can cover up to three months of premiums. Subsequent monthly payments can only equal one month’s premium plus an additional $10.

If more than this amount is still owed, you must continue to pay your premiums another way.

Once the amount you owe on your premium is within Medicare limits, automatic monthly deductions can occur.

If you don’t have adequate funds for your monthly payment in your bank account, Medicare will send you a letter to tell you the deduction failed and to offer you other ways to pay.

If you need help paying your Medicare premiums, there are resources available:

  • Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program
  • Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) Program
  • Qualifying Individual (QI) Program
  • Qualified Disabled & Working Individual (QDWI) Program

If your Medicare premium changes, the new amount will automatically be deducted if you are already on the Easy Pay plan. Your monthly statements will reflect the new amount.

If you need to change your payment method as premiums change, you must complete and send a new Authorization Agreement for Preauthorized Payments form (SF-5510) form.

Changes will take an additional 6 to 8 weeks to take effect.

Easy Pay can be stopped at any time, but you do need to plan ahead.

To stop Easy Pay, complete and mail in a new Authorization Agreement for Pre-authorized Payments SF-5510 form with the changes you want to be made.

Changes will take an additional 6 to 8 weeks to take effect.

Managing public healthcare programs like Medicare can be complicated, but there are several programs and resources available to help.

One such program is the Easy Pay program, which offers a free, automatic way to pay certain Medicare premiums.