Tricare open enrollment, also known as Tricare open season, runs each year from mid-November through mid-December. For 2026, those dates are Nov. 9 to Dec. 8.
What Is Tricare Open Enrollment?
Open enrollment, or open season, is the time each year when beneficiaries can make changes to their Tricare coverage for the following year.
Outside the annual open enrollment period, active-duty and retiree users can change only if they experience a “qualifying life event” (QLE). QLEs include circumstances such as a move, the birth of a baby, or a Tricare-directed change in a primary care provider.
Pregnancy is not a QLE. That means women who think they might want to have a baby next year and want to switch to a Tricare program with better prenatal coverage should consider switching coverage during this year’s open season.
What Can You Do During Tricare Open Enrollment?
During open season, you can enroll in a new Tricare plan or change your coverage. Any changes you make to your Tricare coverage during open season will be effective for the upcoming year.
As of Aug. 21, 2026, Tricare had announced only the open enrollment dates for 2026 coverage and had not yet posted the 2026 costs and fees.
Open season does not apply to Tricare Reserve Select, Tricare Retired Reserve, Tricare Young Adult, Tricare For Life or the Continued Health Care Benefit Program.
The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), which offers vision and dental benefits for active-duty families and retirees, also holds an open season during about the same dates.
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