Go to gettested.cdc.gov. It lists clinics across the United States and its territories that provide confidential, free or low-cost HIV testing[2]. You can also test with your own provider, a community health center, a county health department, an urgent care clinic, or a mobile unit — or use a self-test and read your result at home in 20 minutes. Not sure where to start? Call 1-800-232-4636.
Start with the two national locators
CDC's front door is gettested.cdc.gov. CDC's own testing page says it plainly: visit gettested.cdc.gov to find HIV testing in your area[1]. The tool covers HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis testing plus HPV and hepatitis vaccines nationwide, and it flags clinics that provide confidential and free or low-cost testing[2].
The second tool is worth bookmarking too: HIV.gov's HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator at locator.hiv.gov searches testing services, housing providers, health centers, and other service providers in one map[4]. Use that one when you want more than a test — case management, housing, or care lined up in advance.
Places that test, beyond a doctor's office
Testing is not limited to primary care. CDC notes that many medical clinics, substance use programs, community health centers, and hospitals offer HIV tests[1], and HIV.gov adds community-based organizations and mobile testing units that bring testing into neighborhoods and events[3].
- County or state health departments — usually the lowest cost, and used to walk-ins. Call and ask for the HIV or STD program.
- Community health centers — search findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov; health centers operate in every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia[7]
- Urgent care or an emergency department — the right choice if you may have been exposed in the last 72 hours and need PEP, not just a test.
- Mobile units and community events — fast, free, and generally no appointment needed[3]
What it should cost you
Usually nothing. CDC states that most HIV tests are available for free or at a reduced cost, and that HIV tests are covered by health insurance without a co-pay[1]. HIV.gov puts the same rule in Affordable Care Act terms: HIV screening is covered by health insurance, including most Medicaid programs, without a co-pay[3].
If you are uninsured, CDC notes that some places offer free or low-cost tests[1] — health departments and community health centers first. Free sites generally do not ask for insurance, though no federal page publishes a universal document policy, so call ahead and ask what to bring. If you want a person to help you find a site, call CDC-INFO at 1-800-232-4636 (TTY 1-888-232-6348) or the HHS HIVinfo line at 1-800-448-0440[6].
Confidential versus anonymous testing
Confidential testing means your result is not available to the public. It goes into your medical record and is generally reported to local or state health departments to be counted in statistical reports — and any personal or identifying information, such as your name or address, is removed before those reports are created[5].
Anonymous testing means you do not give your name at all. You receive a number, and you use that number instead of your name to get your result[5]. Anonymous sites are not everywhere, so ask when you call. Either way, a site should offer you a same-day plan for follow-up if your result is reactive.
Testing yourself at home
You can buy an HIV self-test at a pharmacy or online, and with a self-test you get your result within 20 minutes[1]. CDC also suggests checking gettested.cdc.gov to see whether organizations in your area are offering free or reduced-cost self-tests[1].
For kits by mail, CDC supports Together TakeMeHome, which sends a two-pack of HIV self-tests at no cost — order at together.takemehome.org if kits are available when you go[10].
Two things to keep in mind. A reactive self-test is a preliminary result and needs a follow-up test at a clinic or lab. And if you are already taking PrEP, a self-test is not the right monitoring tool, because self-tests are less sensitive at detecting recent HIV[10]. Ask your PrEP clinic for lab testing instead.
Florida: 1,600+ sites, and a free kit in the mail
The Florida Department of Health says the state has over 1,600 publicly funded and registered testing sites, with testing offered at county health departments, non-profit community-based organizations, jails, hospitals, community health centers, mobile testing units, STD clinics, and community events[8]. About 70% of the HIV screening tests Florida recorded used rapid technology, so many sites can give you a result during the visit[8].
Florida residents can also skip the trip entirely. FL DOH mails a free OraQuick In-Home Rapid HIV Testing Kit — request it at KnowYourHIVStatus.com, with the request survey available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole[9]. Kits arrive with linkage-to-care and PrEP information included[9].
Related questions
Can I get an HIV test without insurance?
Yes. CDC notes that if you don't have insurance, some places offer free or low-cost tests[1] — county health departments and community health centers are the most reliable starting points. Search gettested.cdc.gov and filter for free or low-cost sites[2], then call to confirm cost and hours before you go.
How fast will I get my result?
A rapid test or a self-test gives you a result in about 20 minutes[1]. A lab-based blood test takes longer — ask the site when and how they will contact you, and make sure they have a phone number you actually answer.
Do I have to give my name?
Not always. At an anonymous testing site you receive a number and use that number instead of your name to get your result[5]. Anonymous testing isn't offered everywhere, so ask when you call. Confidential testing does use your name, but your result goes in your medical record, not into public view.
What if I might have been exposed in the last few days?
Don't wait for a test appointment. Go to an emergency room, urgent care clinic, or your county health department now and ask about PEP — it has to start within 72 hours of exposure. locator.hiv.gov can find nearby services fast[4].
Related from RiseUpToHIV
References & Sources
- CDC — Getting Tested for HIV. Directs readers to gettested.cdc.gov; lists clinics, substance use programs, community health centers, and hospitals as testing places; most tests free or reduced cost and covered by insurance without a co-pay; self-tests sold at pharmacies with results in 20 minutes; free or reduced-cost self-tests may be listed on gettested.cdc.gov. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- CDC NPIN — GetTested testing locator. National locator for HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis testing plus HPV and hepatitis vaccination; describes clinics providing confidential and free or low-cost testing. ↩ ↩ ↩
- HIV.gov — HIV Testing Overview. Community-based organizations and mobile testing units as testing venues; under the ACA, HIV screening is covered by health insurance including most Medicaid programs without a co-pay. ↩ ↩ ↩
- HIV.gov — HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator. Searches testing services, housing providers, health centers, and other service providers nationwide. ↩ ↩
- NIH HIVinfo — HIV Testing fact sheet. Definitions of confidential testing (result in the medical record, reported for statistics with identifiers removed) and anonymous testing (a number instead of your name). ↩ ↩ ↩
- CDC — HIV Hotlines and Warmlines. CDC-INFO 1-800-232-4636 (TTY 1-888-232-6348) and HHS HIVinfo 1-800-448-0440 as help lines for finding testing and services. ↩
- HRSA — Find a Health Center. Locator for federally supported health centers, which operate in all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. ↩
- Florida Department of Health — HIV Prevention. Over 1,600 publicly funded and registered testing sites statewide; site types including county health departments, community-based organizations, jails, hospitals, health centers, mobile units, STD clinics, and community events; about 70% of recorded screening tests use rapid technology. ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — HIV Prevention Program (free in-home test kit). KnowYourHIVStatus.com provides a free OraQuick In-Home Rapid HIV Testing Kit; request survey in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole; kits mailed with linkage-to-care and PrEP information. ↩ ↩
- Together TakeMeHome — free HIV self-tests by mail (CDC-supported). Mails a pack of two HIV self-tests at no cost, subject to availability; notes self-tests are not recommended for people taking PrEP because of lower sensitivity for recent HIV. ↩ ↩
Community publications like POZ, Positively Aware, and TheBody inform framing and lived-experience context on RiseUpToHIV. Every clinical, epidemiological, or public-health claim above is anchored to a primary source.