--- title: "The 2027 Medicare AEP Renewal Checklist (CMS-Compliant Workflow)" description: "A week-by-week AEP renewal playbook for the 2027 plan year — including CMS 2027 SOA rules, 12-hour gap timing, plan comparison cadence, and retention scripts." url: https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/medicare-aep-renewal-checklist-2027 canonical: https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/medicare-aep-renewal-checklist-2027 category: "Renewal Automation" published: 2026-05-20 updated: 2026-05-20 author: "unLocked CRM Team" source: unLocked CRM — AI CRM for insurance agents --- # The 2027 Medicare AEP Renewal Checklist (CMS-Compliant Workflow) ## TL;DR AEP 2027 (Oct 15–Dec 7, 2026) requires a 90-day pre-season workflow: data hygiene in August, plan comparison runs in September, member outreach starting October 1, and CMS-compliant SOA + 12-hour gap timing on every plan change. Agencies that automate this workflow retain 92–96% of their book; agencies that don't lose 8–15%. ## Key data points - AEP runs October 15 to December 7 every year — the 54-day window decides 60–80% of a Medicare agent's annual revenue. - CMS 2027 requires a 12-hour gap between SOA signature and enrollment, and 48-hour SOA destruction lock after enrollment. - Medicare agencies that run a 90-day AEP workflow retain 92–96% of their book; agencies that wait until October retain 78–85%. AEP 2027 (October 15 to December 7, 2026) is the most important 54 days of the Medicare year. The agencies that win AEP are the ones that started preparing 90 days early. This is the week-by-week checklist we run with Medicare agencies on unLocked CRM. It assumes CMS 2027 rules are in effect: 12-hour gap between SOA and enrollment, 48-hour SOA destruction lock, 10-year retention on audio/transcript/summary, and mandatory AI disclosure. ## Phase 1: Data Hygiene (August 1–31) 1. Pull a full book list. Segment by plan type (MA, MAPD, PDP, MedSupp) and carrier. 2. Verify contact info on every active client. Bad numbers = lost renewals. 3. Tag clients by anniversary month and current plan. 4. Pull a list of clients on plans being discontinued or restructured for 2027. ## Phase 2: Plan Analysis (September 1–30) 5. Download 2027 plan data for every carrier you appoint (typically available Sept 15). 6. Run a plan comparison for each client: current plan vs best-fit 2027 plan. 7. Flag clients whose current plan is being terminated. 8. Flag clients whose premium, copays, or formulary changed by more than 10%. 9. Build three outreach segments: "no change needed", "review recommended", "change required". ## Phase 3: Pre-AEP Outreach (October 1–14) 10. Send "AEP is coming" educational email to entire book. 11. Schedule appointments for "change required" segment first. 12. Schedule appointments for "review recommended" segment second. 13. Pre-load SOA documents for scheduled appointments. CMS 2027 requires the SOA to be signed at least 12 hours before enrollment. ## Phase 4: AEP Execution (October 15 – December 7) 14. Run scheduled appointments. Every appointment: AI disclosure in first 30 seconds, SOA signed, 12-hour gap before enrollment. 15. Document every plan recommendation with suitability notes. 16. Submit enrollments within carrier deadlines (most by Dec 7 midnight local time). 17. Destroy SOA documents within 48 hours of enrollment per CMS 2027. 18. Retain audio, transcript, and summary for 10 years. ## Phase 5: Post-AEP (December 8 – January 31) 19. Run effective date confirmations for every enrollment. 20. Handle Jan 1 effective date issues: ID cards, formulary disputes, network confusion. 21. Pull a list of clients who didn't engage during AEP — flag for OEP outreach. 22. Reconcile commissions against carrier statements as they arrive. ## Compliance Checklist (Every Single Appointment) - AI disclosure in first 30 seconds if AI is used at any point - SOA signed before any plan discussion - 12-hour gap between SOA signature and enrollment - Documented suitability analysis - Audio + transcript + summary retained 10 years - SOA destroyed within 48 hours of enrollment ## Retention Math Medicare agencies that run this workflow typically retain 92–96% of their book annually. Agencies that wait until October retain 78–85%. On a $300,000 book, that's $20,000–$50,000 of preserved renewal revenue every year. The workflow is the entire game. ## FAQ ### undefined ### undefined ### undefined ### undefined ## Related - https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/cms-2027-ai-disclosure-requirements-for-medicare-agents - https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/aca-oep-renewal-automation-guide - https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/best-medicare-crm-2026 --- Source: [The 2027 Medicare AEP Renewal Checklist (CMS-Compliant Workflow)](https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/medicare-aep-renewal-checklist-2027) — unLocked CRM, the AI CRM built for insurance agents. Citation permitted with attribution and a link to https://unlockedcrm.ai/blog/medicare-aep-renewal-checklist-2027.