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🏥 Fax a COBRA Election Form Online

📅 Updated October 2026 · 🇺🇸 Send from anywhere in the US

✦ Quick Answer

Send your COBRA election form to the plan or COBRA administrator named on your election notice, at the fax number printed on that notice. There is no national COBRA fax number. Your plan must give you at least 60 days to elect, counted from the later of the date your coverage ends or the date the notice arrives, and at least 45 days after you elect to pay the first premium. A US or Canadian fax costs $2.99 for up to 3 pages, and 4 pages is $3.98.

Fax your COBRA election, $2.99

📋 In This Guide

Where to Send Your COBRA Election
The 60-Day Election and 45-Day Payment Deadlines
What to Put on the Cover Page and Each Page
How to Send It and What It Costs
Your Record and If the Fax Fails
Other Paperwork After a Job Ends
Frequently Asked Questions

Where to Send Your COBRA Election

The election notice you received after your job ended, or after another qualifying event, names the plan's COBRA administrator. That might be your former employer's benefits office, the health plan itself, or an outside company that handles COBRA for the employer. The notice tells you where to return the election form, and that is the only place it should go.

If the notice lists a fax number for elections, use that number. If it lists only a mailing address or an online portal, use the route it gives, because a fax to a number you found somewhere else may never reach the people who record elections. When the notice is unclear, call the phone number on it and ask whether they accept the election form by fax and at which number, and write down the name of the person you spoke with.

The rule: fax your COBRA election only to the fax number printed on your own election notice, or one the administrator confirms to you. Do not use a number from a search result or an old email.

The 60-Day Election and 45-Day Payment Deadlines

The Department of Labor's employee guide to COBRA explains two separate time limits. First, your plan must give you at least 60 days to choose whether to elect COBRA coverage. That period is counted from the date your coverage ends or the date the election notice is provided to you, whichever is later. Your notice should show the exact last day for your election, so check it and mark it on a calendar.

Second, the plan must give you at least 45 days after you elect COBRA to make the initial premium payment. That means faxing the election form and paying the first premium are two different steps, and the fax itself does not pay anything. The premium amount and how to pay it are on your notice or will come from the administrator.

Your plan may give you more time than these minimums, but not less. If the date on your notice looks shorter than the rules described here, call the administrator and ask them to explain it.

Fax your COBRA election, $2.99

What to Put on the Cover Page and Each Page

A short cover page makes it easy for the administrator to match your form to your file. Include the name of the COBRA administrator as written on the notice, your full name, the name of your former employer, any participant ID, member number or reference number from the notice, your phone and email, the words "COBRA election form attached", and the total page count.

If you are electing coverage for your spouse or children as well, make sure each person is listed on the form exactly as the notice requires, and sign and date it where it asks. Write your name and the reference number at the top of each page, and number the pages, for example 2 of 4, so nothing gets separated.

Some people also send the page of the notice that shows their name and reference number, which helps the administrator find the record quickly. Do not send payment card details on a fax unless the administrator asks you to do it that way.

How to Send It and What It Costs

Open OverseasFax in any browser, select United States (or Canada if the administrator is there), and type all 10 digits of the fax number from your notice with no leading 1. The +1 is added for you, a typed 1 at the start is removed, and the pay button turns on only when 10 digits are entered. The guide to faxing a US number online has more about number format.

The price is $2.99 for up to 3 pages and $0.99 for each extra page. A cover page, a two-page election form and one page from the notice make 4 pages, which costs $2.99 + $0.99 = $3.98. You see the price before you pay, you do not create an account, and nothing is printed on your document.

You can send from home on a computer or from your phone. If your paperwork is on paper, scan it or take clear photos and save them as a PDF first; the guide to faxing from Windows covers this on a PC.

Fax your COBRA election, $2.99

Your Record and If the Fax Fails

Most faxes are delivered within a few minutes. Afterward you receive a confirmation email showing the destination number, the page count and the time the fax went through, in US Eastern Time. Keep it with your election notice, because it is your record of exactly when your election was sent, which matters when you are close to the last day of the 60-day period.

If the fax cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card automatically, so you can check the number and send again. A busy line, a typed leading 1, or a number that is not a fax line are the usual causes. Because the deadline is firm, do not wait until the last day to send.

If the administrator wants to fax you a confirmation or a premium notice, our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a private US fax number for 24 hours for $5, for up to 30 pages, and each fax arrives in your email as a PDF.

Leaving a job often brings several forms at once. You may need to answer an unemployment agency, which is covered in faxing unemployment claim responses, or send papers to a health plan, covered in faxing your health insurance company. If you are moving to Medicare instead, see faxing Medicare Part B enrollment forms. Every US page we have is listed in the US fax guide.

Why send it here

One price for the whole fax, shown before you pay, and nothing added at checkout.

Nothing is printed on your document. It arrives exactly as you uploaded it.

If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.

It works from anywhere in the US, in any browser, with no account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cost and what you get

How much is it to fax a COBRA election form?

$2.99 for up to 3 pages, and $0.99 for each extra page. A cover page, a two-page COBRA election form and one page of the notice is 4 pages, which is $3.98, with no account needed.

Does the $2.99 fax price pay my first COBRA premium?

No. The $2.99 is only the cost of sending the fax. Your COBRA premium is paid separately to the administrator, and you have at least 45 days after you elect to make the first payment.

Sending a fax

Is faxing a COBRA election form allowed?

Yes, if your election notice gives a fax number for elections or the administrator confirms one. If the notice lists only a mailing address or a portal, use that route instead.

I just got laid off and my COBRA packet came in the mail, can I fax the election back tonight?

Yes, if the notice has a fax number. Scan or photograph the signed election form, open OverseasFax in your browser, enter the 10-digit number from the notice and pay; delivery usually takes a few minutes, even at night.

Should my COBRA election go to my old boss or to the COBRA administrator?

To whoever your election notice names, which is usually the COBRA administrator. Send it to the address or fax number on that notice, not to your former manager.

How long do I have to elect COBRA coverage?

At least 60 days. The Department of Labor says the period counts from the date your coverage ends or the date the notice is provided, whichever is later, and your notice shows your exact last day.

When is my first COBRA payment due after I fax the election form?

At least 45 days after you elect. The Department of Labor guide says the plan must allow that much time for the initial premium payment, and your notice or the administrator gives the amount.

Can I elect COBRA for my kids and my spouse on the same fax?

Yes, if the election form allows it. List each person as the form asks, sign where required, and send it all as one fax to the number on the notice.

Fax numbers and format

What is the COBRA fax number?

There is no national COBRA fax number. Each plan or administrator has its own, and you should use only the fax number printed on your election notice.

My COBRA election notice only shows a mailing address, can I fax it anyway?

Not without checking first. Call the phone number on the notice and ask whether they accept the COBRA election by fax and at which number; if they do not, mail it as the notice says.

How do I enter the COBRA administrator's fax number?

Select United States and type the 10 digits with no leading 1, no spaces and no dashes. The +1 is added for you, and the pay button turns on at 10 digits.

Receiving a reply

Can the COBRA administrator fax me a confirmation that my election was received?

Yes, if you give them a fax number. OverseasFax only sends, but our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a private US fax number for 24 hours for $5, for up to 30 pages, delivered to your email as a PDF.

Delivery, proof and safety

How do I keep a record that I faxed my COBRA election before the deadline?

Keep the confirmation email. It shows the destination number, the page count and the time in US Eastern Time, which is your record of exactly when your COBRA election was sent.

My COBRA election fax failed on the last day, what happens to my money?

It is refunded to your card automatically. Check the number on the notice, make sure no leading 1 was typed, and send again right away, and call the administrator if the line keeps failing.

Will the COBRA administrator see an ad or a stamp on my faxed election form?

No. Nothing is printed on your document and there is no advertising on the cover page, so the form arrives exactly as you uploaded it.

Is it safe to fax a COBRA election with my Social Security number on it?

Yes, if the number is correct. The fax goes only to the number you enter and there is no account; check the number against your notice before you pay, and keep the SSN off the cover page.