Medicare

AEP 2026: The Medicare Agent Preparation Guide

AEP runs October 15 to December 7 every year, but the agents who win AEP start prep in August. This guide covers the lead budget pacing, inventory mix, compliance steps, and operational checkpoints that separate a stressful AEP from a productive one.

By The ClosrLeads Team · Published 2026-03-25 · Updated 2026-04-22

The AEP calendar that matters

August: Compliance recertifications, carrier ready-to-sell renewals, script reviews. Lead spend is light.
September: Pre-AEP nurture. Aged leads worked for relationships that will close October 15. Budget ramps to 50% of target AEP weekly volume.
October 1-14: Pre-AEP plan research. Consumers study ANOCs. Real-time volume rises; brokers should be staffed at full capacity by October 1.
October 15 - December 7: AEP itself. Real-time is king. Budget peaks in the final two weeks.
December 8-15: Last-week push, late decisions, plan corrections for January 1 effective dates.
January 1 - March 31: MA OEP. Secondary window with smaller volume but meaningful switching.

Lead budget pacing for AEP

A typical Medicare broker running $30,000 in AEP lead spend should allocate roughly:

September: $3,000 (aged nurture + prep real-time)
October 1-14: $5,000 (real-time ramp)
October 15 - November 15: $10,000 (peak first half of AEP)
November 15 - December 7: $10,000 (final push, pricing rises)
December 8-15: $2,000 (late decisions)

Pricing rises sharply in the final two weeks of AEP. Budgeting the heaviest spend in November rather than October captures the highest-intent consumers at better unit pricing.

Real-time vs aged during AEP

During AEP, real-time wins decisively. Consumers are comparing plans for a specific January 1 effective date; they move fast. Aged is better deployed in September and early October to build relationships that close October 15 — consumers who know they want to switch but have to wait for the window to open.

Inventory mix by product focus

MA-focused agents: Heavy real-time Medicare Advantage during AEP, with SEP SNP inventory year-round.
Medigap-focused agents: Moderate AEP spend, heavier T65 year-round. AEP drives Medigap-from-MA switches rather than new Medigap enrollments.
Dual-appointed brokers: Full AEP real-time with cross-product comparison on first call. Often the highest write rate profile.

Compliance prep for AEP 2026

Every Medicare agent should complete these by September 30:

AHIP recertification (or carrier-specific equivalents).
Carrier ready-to-sell renewals for every plan you intend to write.
Scope of Appointment (SOA) documentation process review and testing.
Internal DNC list scrub.
TCPA consent record retrieval process tested for every lead provider.
CMS marketing rule review — specifically on third-party marketing, FMO-provided scripts, and consent-based contact timing.

Staffing for AEP

AEP lead volume can be 2x to 3x off-season volume. Agencies that don\'t staff up in advance end up burning leads they paid for. Plan staffing additions by September 15, interview through October 1, and have new agents onboarded and certified by October 10.

For solo brokers, AEP often means longer days and working weekends. Budget for the cadence burn — a broker who hits November 15 exhausted is not going to close well in the final three weeks.

Technology checklist before October 1

Dialer reputation audit — fresh DIDs tested, spam-flagged numbers retired.
CRM routing tested with sample leads.
SMS opt-in templates registered and tested.
TCPA consent field mapping audited in the CRM.
Carrier enrollment platforms tested for speed and accuracy.
Recording infrastructure in place for required calls (SOA audio, plan comparison calls).

What to measure during AEP

Contact rate daily (a sudden drop signals DID issues before they compound).
Application submission rate per source.
Pending-to-submitted conversion time (carriers get slow during AEP; delays matter).
Per-application cost blended across sources.

How ClosrLeads supports AEP

Real-time Medicare Supplement and MA inventory scales with AEP demand. Aged Medigap is available for September and early October relationship-building. Webhook delivery to Ringy, GHL, and custom CRMs. TCPA consent with source page and timestamp preserved on every record. Support contact for replacement requests is staffed at AEP capacity from October 1 through December 15.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start buying Medicare leads for AEP?

Real-time spending should be ramping by September and at full capacity by October 1. Aged nurture should start in August for September outreach. Agencies that wait for October 15 to start spending lose the first two weeks of AEP.

Does Medigap peak during AEP?

Partially. AEP drives Medigap-from-MA switches as consumers frustrated with MA changes explore returning to Original Medicare plus Medigap. Pure Medigap new enrollments run more on T65 cohorts and state birthday rules, which are year-round.

How much should I budget for AEP lead spend?

Varies by agency size. A solo broker writing 40-80 applications during AEP typically spends $8K to $25K. A small agency writing 200+ typically spends $50K to $150K. Blend real-time and aged; pace heavier in November than October.

When does AEP 2026 start?

The annual Medicare Advantage and Part D Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7 every year for coverage starting January 1 of the following year.

Put it to work with ClosrLeads

Aged from $1.00, real-time webhook delivery, TCPA consent on every record.

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