Tricare Open Season 2026: Nov. 9 to Dec. 8 Dates, Who Can Change Plans for 2027

Tricare Open Season 2026 runs from Monday, Nov. 9 through Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, according to Tricare, the military health program’s official site. Changes made in that window take effect Jan. 1, 2027. The sections below cover who can change plans, who cannot, the ways to make a change and how this window differs from Federal Benefits Open Season.

Countdown to the Tricare Open Season deadline

The clock needs JavaScript. Tricare gives dates only, with no time of day and no time zone on its Open Season page or its frequently asked questions (FAQ) page, so the first two options mark midnight at the end of Dec. 8 as a planning assumption, not a Tricare deadline. On those dates clocks are on standard time, so Eastern Time is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Tricare Open Season dates and what changes in January 2027

Tricare’s FAQ page says that in 2026 the season runs “from Nov. 9-Dec. 8, 2026.” Its rule is the Monday of the second full week in November through the Tuesday of the second full week in December. Counting both end days, the season is 30 days long.

Date	Weekday	What happens	Source
Nov. 9, 2026	Monday	Tricare Open Season opens; Federal Benefits Open Season also opens	Tricare
Dec. 8, 2026	Tuesday	Tricare Open Season closes	Tricare
Dec. 14, 2026	Monday	Federal Benefits Open Season closes	Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Jan. 1, 2027	Friday	Changes made during open season take effect	Tricare

Tricare also says coverage “will continue automatically for 2027” for enrollees who make no change. The page gives no time of day for the opening or the close.

Who can change plans during Tricare Open Season?

Tricare says open season applies to people who have or are eligible for Tricare Prime options, including the Tricare Prime Demo, and for Tricare Select. The Prime list on the page has more than one option, so check which one you hold on the Tricare site.

Who is outside Tricare Open Season?

Tricare says open season does not apply to active duty service members, Tricare For Life beneficiaries, or people enrolled in Tricare Reserve Select, Tricare Retired Reserve or Tricare Young Adult. The FAQ lists Tricare For Life first among those groups.

Tricare’s pages do not say whether Medicare-eligible beneficiaries as a group are in or out; only Tricare For Life is named. Anyone unsure should ask the regional contractor before Dec. 8.

How to change a Tricare plan before Dec. 8

Tricare lists three routes on its Open Season page.

1. Online through milConnect.
2. By phone to your regional contractor, through the Tricare Call Us page (the page lists no number in the material reviewed here).
3. By mail or fax with an enrollment form.

A step-by-step guide is on the Tricare Enroll page.

Where to compare Tricare Prime and Tricare Select

Tricare does not publish a side-by-side Prime and Select table on its Open Season page. It links three tools instead:

• the Open Season Road Map PDF,
• the Compare Plans Tool at tricare.mil/Plans/ComparePlans,
• the Health Plan Costs page at tricare.mil/comparecosts.

The page does not mention plan-change fees, and no 2027 premium amounts appear in the pages used for this story.

Tricare Open Season versus Federal Benefits Open Season

The two windows open together and close on different days. OPM says “the 2026 Federal Benefits Open Season will run from November 9 through December 14, 2026.” Tricare describes that window as covering dental and vision plans, and OPM’s release also covers Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB). Our story on Federal Benefits Open Season 2026 has the OPM dates, premiums and start dates. Someone in both systems should note that Dec. 8 comes six days before Dec. 14.

The printable matrix puts both calendars on one sheet. For the same weeks on paper, use the November 2026 and December 2026 printable calendars. Another year-end health deadline is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment window for 2027.