How to sign up for Medicare

What specific insurance base should be recorded when filing with Medicare for an individual who lacks documented service years—specifically regarding those exempt from payroll taxes under the Payroll Tax Law, rather than those covered by the Employment Act?

dustyscout8 said:I’m looking for some guidance here. This past Friday, we filed the initial registration paperwork for our bookkeeping firm with the Social Security Administration, along with a power of attorney for another small business we manage, which we intend to use for handling their employee enrollments. However, when I log into the online portal, the system only grants me access to filings for our own bookkeeping firm; there is absolutely no option to manage or report for the hospitality business we are trying to represent.
Is it possible we missed a specific form or a secondary authorization? Did we need to submit something electronically to establish our authority over that second business? I have tried calling the helpline for the online portal, but I can't get anyone to pick up the phone.

If you submitted everything via physical paperwork, they probably just haven't processed the request yet 🤷

dustyscout8 said:I’m looking for some guidance here. This past Friday, we filed the initial registration paperwork for our bookkeeping firm with the Social Security Administration, along with a power of attorney for another small business we manage, which we intend to use for handling their employee enrollments. However, when I log into the online portal, the system only grants me access to filings for our own bookkeeping firm; there is absolutely no option to manage or report for the hospitality business we are trying to represent.
Is it possible we missed a specific form or a secondary authorization? Did we need to submit something electronically to establish our authority over that second business? I have tried calling the helpline for the online portal, but I can't get anyone to pick up the phone.

In my experience, those access forms used to be processed almost instantly once they were handed in at the service window (at least in New York City), and you could start using the system right away. It would probably be best to follow up and see if you can get them processed just to figure out where the bottleneck is.

Robert Sanchez6 said:What specific insurance base should be recorded when filing with Medicare for an individual who lacks documented service years—specifically regarding those exempt from payroll taxes under the Payroll Tax Law, rather than those covered by the Employment Act?

Does anyone happen to know the answer to this? I am looking for some clarity. It appears to be a standard employment relationship with either a corporation or an individual, but I cannot say for certain—and frankly, trying to get a straight answer from the Social Security Administration over the phone is proving to be an impossible task.

Robert Sanchez6 said:Does anyone happen to know the answer to this? I am looking for some clarity. It appears to be a standard employment relationship with either a corporation or an individual, but I cannot say for certain—and frankly, trying to get a straight answer from the Social Security Administration over the phone is proving to be an impossible task.

It’s a standard employment relationship. A classic case. That’s exactly how they handled things when the foreign worker was manually processing one just last month.

Brenda Chase3 said:It’s a standard employment relationship. A classic case. That’s exactly how they handled things when the foreign worker was manually processing one just last month.

Many thanks!

I appreciate the responses, everyone, though it feels like we’ve been completely blindsided by 🙂
. So, let me get this straight: there is absolutely no need to scan the employment contract? No supporting documents whatsoever? I'm just supposed to fill out the necessary forms and call it a day?
And once those are signed and submitted, what actually happens next? What is the subsequent step in the process after they are printed out and taken down to the Social Security Administration office?

dustyscout8 said:I appreciate the responses, everyone, though it feels like we’ve been completely blindsided by 🙂
. So, let me get this straight: there is absolutely no need to scan the employment contract? No supporting documents whatsoever? I'm just supposed to fill out the necessary forms and call it a day?
And once those are signed and submitted, what actually happens next? What is the subsequent step in the process after they are printed out and taken down to the Social Security Administration office?

No attachments are necessary unless you're registering someone for professional certification training.
I'm not quite following your logic... why would you head down to the Social Security office with printed forms? You might be thinking of the healthcare administration. Generally speaking, once the enrollments or terminations are submitted through Medicare.gov, they should process them within a few days. Once processed, you'll be able to download everything as a PDF from the portal.

You can print those out and take them to the health insurance office (if you don't use the online portal). However, if you use the digital system, you just scan the employment contract, the employee's ID, and the processed Social Security documents, then upload everything directly during the electronic filing via Medicare.gov.

Regarding the participation requirements—I need proof of income, but the individual has been out on maternity leave for the last six months. How exactly am I supposed to satisfy that requirement?

Brenda Chase3, I APPRECIATE IT! 🙂

We haven't officially filed our paperwork yet—we’re planning to handle that this Friday—but someone mentioned that you need an individual insurance ID number when filing for enrollment or disenrollment through the online pension portal. Is there any truth to that? Specifically, I'm wondering if they require the ID number from my old employment records; is it actually possible that they'll demand that specific number even if my previous job has been terminated, or am I just being misinformed by whoever told me?
Best, Udava🙂

There really shouldn't be any need to provide a Social Security number 😉
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frozenangler12 said:There really shouldn't be any need to provide a Social Security number 😉
...

I wasn't aware of that.
The instructions state it's a mandatory field—except for one specific instance—so I didn't even attempt to proceed without it.
An employee's Social Security number can be found on their "Statement of Earnings and Employment History" from Medicare—which is the document I always request from staff before they officially start work and get onboarded. It serves as my primary way to verify their full employment history; it contains all the necessary details covering the era of paper records and everything since.

Oh, I know what you mean... I actually had a girl come in this week who was starting her very first job. She submitted her application without including her Social Security number, but once they finished processing everything, her SSN showed up right there on the completed form 😉
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frozenangler12 said:Oh, I know what you mean... I actually had a girl come in this week who was starting her very first job. She submitted her application without including her Social Security number, but once they finished processing everything, her SSN showed up right there on the completed form 😉
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The ID isn't strictly required during the initial filing, but my guess is that for termination filings, it becomes mandatory since everyone already has an established SSN in the system.

probably 🙂
but if you’ve filed any claims before, you almost certainly have that Social Security number tucked away somewhere. besides, even if they don't get everything submitted on schedule, it's good to remember that you can still file without having it right in front of you 😉
oh, and you shouldn't even need to enter a full SSN, just your birth date and year... when I was trying to register for the first time and didn't have my number handy, the system kept throwing an error regarding the SSN, so the lady from the Social Security Administration over the phone told me to just input my date and year of birth, and that worked just fine

I am currently requesting a confirmation from Social Security—and because I am filing through Medicare.gov, I intend to submit that alongside my other documentation in lieu of the employment booklet listed in the requirements.
I make it a point to submit every single item on the checklist—I suppose you could call me a bit of a perfectionist. Are you suggesting that an application submitted via Medicare.gov might actually be processed without a verification from the SSA?

What kind of documentation are we talking about here? I assume you’d just send over your confirmation from NOAA showing you're enrolled, along with your contract and a copy of your ID...
I haven't actually tried using the Medicare.gov portal yet 🤷

frozenangler12 said:What kind of documentation are we talking about here? I assume you’d just send over your confirmation from NOAA showing you're enrolled, along with your contract and a copy of your ID...
I haven't actually tried using the Medicare.gov portal yet 🤷

I am referring specifically to registering through the MyMedicare portal. Naturally, I provide the employment contract, Social Security registration details, and my ID—but I also include an official "Verification of Recorded Data" document in lieu of a physical work booklet.
That was precisely how the representatives at Medicare instructed me during a phone call when I first inquired about what to submit instead of a traditional work history book before making my initial application through their app.

frozenangler12 said:well, the application doesn't actually state that it's required🤷
—it just lists what I've already mentioned. I'll certainly double-check everything later.

The instructions specify that a work history booklet is necessary. However, I have always submitted a formal verification letter instead—so I am genuinely uncertain if an application would be accepted using only three attachments: the employment contract, the Social Security statement, and a copy of my ID.

Terry Sullivan56 said:Look, if you already filed that person through the online retirement portal, they aren't going to accept a manual application at the health insurance desk. Once you start a process that way, you have to see it through to the end. That's just how the bureaucracy works.

I've been there. Proven fact.

Well, it works differently here; you just have to bring in a printed application with a barcode in the corner to prove it was actually processed. I'm having a nightmare trying to register with Medicare, though—I haven't been able to do it even once because the system keeps saying the connection was lost. Does anyone know how to fix this? I've tried calling their support line, but nobody ever picks up!