How to Find Your Medicare Number (With or Without Your Card)

If you need your Medicare number and your card is not in front of you, you have three ways to get it: your online Medicare account, your Social Security account, or a recent Medicare Summary Notice. All three work, and none of them requires you to wait for a new card in the mail.

Here is how each one works, plus what to do if you think your number has changed.

What your Medicare number actually is

Your Medicare number is called the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, or MBI. It is an 11-character code made up of numbers and uppercase letters, and it is unique to you.

It is not your Social Security number. It used to be. Until 2018, Medicare used a Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) that was built from your SSN. Congress required that to change, and CMS mailed new cards with randomly generated MBIs to everyone on Medicare during 2018 and 2019. Since January 2020, the MBI is the only number accepted on Medicare claims.

That history explains why people search for this number under so many different names. You may have heard it called:

• Medicare claim number is the old HICN term. On your current card, the field labelled Medicare Number is what people mean by this.
• Medicare policy number or member number are informal terms for the same number.
• Medicare account number usually means the same thing, though sometimes people mean their Medicare.gov login.
• Part A or Part B number. There is no separate number for each part. One MBI covers both.

If a form asks for any of the above, the MBI on your card is what you want.

Where it appears on your card

On the red, white and blue Medicare card, the MBI is printed under your name, on the line labelled Medicare Number. Below it you will see the dates your Part A and Part B coverage started.

If you are in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, you will also have a separate card from that insurer with its own member ID. That is a different number, issued by the plan rather than by Medicare. When a provider asks for your Medicare number they usually mean the MBI. When your plan asks, they usually mean their own member ID. If you are unsure, offer both cards.

Option 1: Find it in your Medicare account

This is the fastest route if you already have an account at Medicare.gov.

1. Go to Medicare.gov and select Log in / Create account.
2. Sign in.
3. Your Medicare number appears on your account dashboard.

From the same account you can print an official copy of your card immediately, or order a replacement by post.

One important caveat. Creating a Medicare.gov account for the first time requires your Medicare number, so this route only helps if you already have an account set up. If you do not, use one of the two options below to get the number first, then come back and register.

Option 2: Find it through Social Security

If you do not have a Medicare account, this is usually the way to go, because a My Social Security account can be created without knowing your Medicare number.

1. Go to SSA.gov and sign in to your My Social Security account, or create one.
2. Select Get a Benefit Verification Letter.
3. Your Medicare number appears in the Medicare information section of that letter.

The benefit verification letter is the specific document that carries it. It is not shown on your main profile page, which is where a lot of guides send people by mistake.

Two things worth knowing. Setting up an SSA account requires identity verification, so allow a few minutes and have your personal details to hand. And you cannot create an account for someone else, even a family member who has asked you to and given permission, because SSA rules prohibit it. If you are helping a parent or spouse, they need to be at the keyboard with you.

Option 3: Find it on a Medicare Summary Notice

If you have received any Medicare-covered care in the last few months, check your post.

A Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) is the quarterly statement listing the claims processed for you, and your MBI is printed on it. If you have a recent one in a drawer, that is your number with no logins required. Original Medicare mails these every three months in any quarter you had a claim.

If you have no card, no account and no paperwork

Call Medicare directly at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A representative can verify your identity over the phone and help you.

Expect to answer identity questions before they will release anything. That is deliberate, for the reasons in the fraud section below.

Getting a replacement card

If your card is lost, stolen or damaged, you have three options:

• Print an official copy from your Medicare.gov account, available immediately.
• Order a replacement through your Medicare.gov account or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. Allow around 30 days for delivery.
• Request it through Social Security if you receive Social Security benefits, using the Replacement Documents section of your My Social Security account.

In the meantime, the printed copy from your online account is valid at a doctor’s office. You do not have to postpone care while you wait for plastic to arrive.

When your Medicare number changes

Most people keep the same MBI for life. But it can be reissued. If your card is lost or stolen, or if CMS has reason to believe your number has been compromised, you will be assigned a new one.

If that happens, start giving providers the new number straight away. Claims submitted with a retired MBI get rejected, which usually surfaces as a confusing billing letter weeks later rather than a problem at the front desk.

Protecting your number

Treat your MBI the way you would treat your Social Security number.

Share it only with your doctors, pharmacists, hospitals, insurers and people you trust to act on your behalf with Medicare. Medicare will not call you out of the blue to ask for it. Anyone who phones offering free equipment, a genetic test, a back brace or a new card in exchange for confirming your Medicare number is running a scam, and it is one of the most common ones aimed at people on Medicare.

If you think your number has been misused, report it to 1-800-MEDICARE.

Frequently asked questions

Is my Medicare number the same as my Social Security number?

No. It used to be, before 2018. Every card issued since then carries a randomly generated 11-character MBI with no connection to your SSN.

Is my Medicare claim number the same as my Medicare number?

Yes, in everyday use. Claim number is the older term. The number printed on your card is what forms mean when they ask for either.

Can I find my Medicare number without my card?

Yes, through your Medicare.gov account, through the benefit verification letter in your My Social Security account, or on a recent Medicare Summary Notice.

How do I find my Medicare number on the Social Security website?

Sign in to My Social Security, select Get a Benefit Verification Letter, and look under the Medicare information section. It is not displayed on your profile page.

Do I have a separate number for Part A and Part B?

No. One MBI covers your Original Medicare coverage. If you also have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, that plan issues its own separate member ID.

Can I look up someone else’s Medicare number?

Not through these routes. You cannot create an SSA account on another person’s behalf, even with their permission. To handle someone’s Medicare matters you need to be an authorised representative on file with Medicare.

How long does a replacement card take?

Around 30 days by post. You can print an official copy from your Medicare.gov account immediately and use that in the meantime.