When is the first COBRA premium due?

• A. On the election date.
• B. Within 30 days after election.
• C. Within 60 days after the COBRA election.
• D. Within 45 days after the COBRA election.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is when the premium payment for COBRA continuation coverage is due after you elect it. Once you elect COBRA, you have a 45-day window to pay the first premium. This deadline keeps your coverage active (and, if paid timely, can make the coverage retroactive to the date you would have lost coverage). The election itself is made within a 60-day window, but that window is about choosing whether to elect, not about paying the first premium. If the first premium isn’t paid by the 45-day deadline, the plan can terminate COBRA coverage. Subsequent premiums are then paid monthly in advance. For example, if you elect COBRA on day 0, the first premium must be paid by day 45.