Ages 13-64 Should Get an HIV Test, Most Are Free or Low Cost
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once, and people with certain risk factors should get tested more often. CDC says most HIV tests are available for free or at a reduced cost, and you can visit gettested.cdc.gov to find HIV testing in your area.
CDC says the only way to know your HIV status is to get tested; if your result is positive, you can take medicine to treat HIV to help you live a long, healthy life and protect others, and if it is negative, you can take actions to prevent HIV. This article follows CDC's HIV testing page: when to get tested, the types of tests, where to get tested, the window period, and what to do after your results. Everyone's health is different; if you have questions, ask your health care provider.
When to get tested
CDC explains (CDC, Getting Tested for HIV):
- Everyone: Everyone ages 13 to 64 should get tested at least once.
- At least once a year: You should get tested at least once a year if you're a man who has had sex with another man; you've had anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV; you've had more than one sex partner since your last HIV test; you've shared needles, syringes or other drug injection equipment (for example, cookers); you've exchanged sex for drugs or money; you've been diagnosed with or treated for another sexually transmitted infection, hepatitis or tuberculosis (TB); or you've had sex with someone who has done anything listed above or whose sexual history you don't know.
- A new partner: Before having sex with a new partner, talk about your sexual and drug-use history, disclose your HIV status, and consider getting tested together; even if you and your partner have sex only with each other, you should both find out your HIV status.
- Gay and bisexual men: Sexually active gay or bisexual men may benefit from more frequent testing (every 3 to 6 months); talk to your provider about your risk factors and testing options.
- Pregnancy: HIV testing should be performed during each pregnancy; testing during pregnancy, along with PrEP or HIV treatment depending on the mother's status, is a highly effective way to prevent babies from being born with HIV.
Types of tests
- Antibody test: Looks for HIV antibodies in blood or oral fluid; most rapid tests and FDA-approved self-tests are antibody tests, and tests using blood from a vein can detect HIV sooner than finger-stick or oral fluid tests.
- Antigen/antibody test: Looks for both antibodies and antigens; recommended for lab testing, using blood from a vein, and also available as a finger-stick rapid test.
- Nucleic acid test (NAT): Looks for the virus itself using blood from a vein sent to a lab; it can detect HIV sooner than other tests and should be considered for people with a recent or possible exposure and early symptoms who tested negative on an antibody or antigen/antibody test.
- Which one: Talk to your provider about which test is right for you.
Where to get tested
- Self-tests: Visit gettested.cdc.gov to see if organizations near you offer free or reduced-cost self-tests; you can also buy one at a pharmacy or online, or order free self-tests through Together TakeMeHome; you can use one at home or in a private place and get results within 20 minutes.
- Self-test results: Always interpret results according to the manufacturer's instructions; if positive, seek lab testing to confirm; if invalid, the test didn't work, and you'll need another self-test or testing at a provider or testing center.
- Testing locations: You can ask your provider for an HIV test; many medical clinics, substance abuse programs, community health centers and hospitals also offer them.
- Cost: HIV tests are often covered by health insurance; if you don't have insurance, some testing locations offer free or low-cost tests; check with your insurer or provider.
Results and the window period
- How long results take: Rapid tests (finger stick or oral fluid), including self-tests, take 30 minutes or less; a NAT or antigen/antibody lab test may take several days.
- Window period: No HIV test can detect HIV immediately after infection. Antibody tests can usually detect HIV 23 to 90 days after exposure; finger-stick rapid antigen/antibody tests, 18 to 90 days; antigen/antibody lab tests using blood from a vein, 18 to 45 days; and NATs, 10 to 33 days.
- Negative after an exposure: Get tested again after the window period for the test you took.
After your results
- Positive antibody test: You need a follow-up test to confirm; if you tested in a community program or with a self-test, you should go to a provider for follow-up testing; if you tested in a health care setting or lab, the lab will usually do the follow-up on the same blood sample; if the follow-up is also positive, you have HIV.
- After a diagnosis: Find HIV care and start treatment as soon as possible; treatment can make the amount of HIV in your body so low that a test can't detect it, and CDC says that if your viral load is undetectable, you will not transmit HIV through sex.
- Telling partners: You should share your HIV status with your sex or needle-sharing partners.
- Not the same as AIDS: Testing positive for HIV does not mean you have AIDS, the most advanced stage of HIV disease; but HIV can lead to AIDS if a person with HIV does not get treatment or take care of their health.
- Negative: Because of the window period, a negative result doesn't necessarily mean you don't have HIV; if you test again after the window period, had no possible exposure during that time, and are still negative, you do not have HIV; if you have certain risk factors, you should keep getting tested at least once a year.
Adults 18 and older are also advised to get a hepatitis C test at least once; see Adults 18+ Should Get a Hepatitis C Test, Each Pregnancy Too; for where to see a doctor when you're sick, see ERs Can't Refuse the Uninsured, Ask for Self-Pay Estimates.
What this article did not check
- PrEP and prevention: CDC has separate pages; this article did not check them.
- HIV treatment: CDC has separate pages; this article did not check them.
- Your insurance coverage: Ask your insurer; this article did not check it.
FAQ
I don't think I'm at risk. Should I still get tested?
CDC says everyone ages 13 to 64 should get tested for HIV at least once.
Does an HIV test cost money?
CDC says most HIV tests are available for free or at a reduced cost; tests are often covered by insurance, and some locations offer free or low-cost tests if you're uninsured.
I was just exposed and tested negative. Am I in the clear?
Not necessarily. CDC says that because of the window period, if you test negative after an exposure, get tested again after the window period for that test.
What if my self-test is positive?
CDC says to seek lab testing to confirm; if you tested in a community program or with a self-test, you should go to a provider for follow-up testing.
Sources and date checked
All checked on 2026-11-02.
- CDC, Getting Tested for HIV (page dated 2026-09-15):https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/testing/index.html