As someone who went through this transition last year, I can confirm everything everyone has said here is accurate. The conversion from SSDI to retirement benefits at FRA is completely seamless. I turned 67 in February and received a letter about a month before my birthday explaining the change. My March payment came through exactly as usual - same amount, same date, same direct deposit account. The only difference I noticed was that my annual Social Security Statement now shows "retirement benefits" instead of "disability benefits." One thing that really helped me was creating a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov before the transition. You can track your benefits there and see all the correspondence they send you. It gave me peace of mind to be able to log in and see everything was processing normally. The whole thing was honestly anticlimactic - I had worried for nothing! Your stress is completely understandable, but you really can just let the system handle it automatically.

I'm a newcomer here but have been researching this exact topic for my own situation. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you might want to review your earnings record before the conversion happens. Since SSDI benefits are calculated based on your work history up to when you became disabled, and retirement benefits use your highest 35 years of earnings, there could be rare cases where continuing to work part-time (under SGA limits) before FRA might slightly increase your eventual retirement benefit calculation. It's probably not a big difference for most people, but worth checking your earnings record on ssa.gov to see if you have any zero-earning years that could potentially be replaced. Just another small detail to consider, though the automatic conversion process itself is exactly as everyone described - completely hands-off!

Just wanted to add another perspective on the timing question! I work as a benefits counselor and see this confusion all the time. The "3 months before FRA" rule is absolutely correct for avoiding payment delays, but I always tell my clients to also consider their personal financial situation. If you're still working and earning good money, there's no rush to start benefits exactly at FRA - you could even delay beyond FRA to earn delayed retirement credits (8% per year until age 70). But if you need the income to start right at FRA, then yes, definitely apply 3 months early. The key is that SSA processes thousands of applications and 3 months gives them adequate time to review everything, verify your earnings record, and set up your payments. I've seen people wait until their birthday month and then stress for months waiting for their first check. Don't be that person!

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm that applying 3 months early is definitely the way to go! I turned 67 in September and applied in June. Got my first payment right on schedule in October (which covered September benefits). One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned - when you apply online, save/print a copy of your confirmation page and application summary. I had a minor glitch where SSA's system didn't show my application for a few days and I was panicking, but having that confirmation number helped when I called. Also, don't be surprised if they ask you to verify some information from your work history. They had questions about a job I had 15 years ago because the employer name in their system was slightly different from what I remembered. Just be prepared to provide as much detail as you can recall about past employment. The whole process was actually much smoother than I expected once I stopped overthinking the timing. Three months early = no benefit reduction, just gives them processing time. You've got this!

One thing nobody mentioned - if you're still working, the earnings limit might affect your benefits until you reach full retirement age. For 2025, if you're under FRA the entire year, you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above $22,900 (approximately). Something to factor into your decision if you're still employed.

This is such a helpful thread! As someone who will likely face this decision in a few years, I'm taking notes on all the strategies mentioned here. The fact that you were able to get through to SSA using Claimyr in just 15 minutes is amazing - I've bookmarked that service for when I need it. One question for the group: does anyone know if there are any good resources (books, websites, etc.) that explain all these widow/widower benefit strategies in plain English? The SSA publications are so technical and confusing. It seems like there are a lot of nuances that aren't well publicized.

I went through this exact same situation about 18 months ago - severe back issues forced me to stop working at 61, got denied for SSDI, and had to decide whether to take early retirement while appealing. I ended up taking retirement benefits at 62 and it was absolutely the right call for my financial situation. A few practical tips from my experience: 1) Apply online through your my Social Security account - it's much faster than trying to get through on the phone or visiting an office. The online application walks you through everything step by step. 2) When you get to the section about other benefits, there's a specific question about pending disability claims. Make sure you answer "yes" and provide your disability application details. 3) Keep detailed records of everything - dates, confirmation numbers, copies of all documents. This helped me tremendously when coordinating between the retirement and disability systems later. 4) Don't let anyone tell you that taking retirement will hurt your disability case. They're evaluated completely separately. I eventually won my SSDI appeal at the hearing level about 8 months after starting retirement benefits. SSA automatically adjusted everything, paid me the difference in back benefits, and converted me to the higher disability amount going forward. The whole process was actually smoother than I expected once I understood how it worked. Given your financial stress, I'd definitely recommend moving forward with the retirement application. You can always continue your disability appeal while having some income coming in. Best of luck!

I'm in a very similar situation - had to stop working due to chronic pain conditions and just got my SSDI denial. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! I'm 61 and will be eligible for early retirement in about 10 months. One question I haven't seen addressed: for those who took early retirement while appealing - did you have any issues with the "substantial gainful activity" test during your disability hearings? I'm worried that receiving retirement benefits might somehow be interpreted as evidence that I'm not disabled, even though I know logically they're separate determinations. Also, @Sofia Ramirez - when you say you won at the hearing level, how long was the total timeline from your initial SSDI application to the final approval? I'm trying to get a realistic sense of how long this whole process might take. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - it's making this overwhelming situation feel much more manageable!

I went through this exact same situation last year when I turned 70 in June. I was also confused about the start date, but after calling SSA directly, they confirmed that you should use the first day of your birth month (April 1st in your case). The key thing to remember is that Social Security benefits are paid monthly, not daily, so you're entitled to the full month's benefit regardless of which day in April you turn 70. I filed my application in February to give them plenty of time to process it, and everything went smoothly. My first payment arrived in July (they pay one month behind), and it included the full benefit amount I was expecting. Don't stress too much about it - you've made the smart choice waiting until 70 to maximize your benefits!

I'm in a similar situation - turning 70 in February and have been wondering about the same thing! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. It's great to see so many people confirming that you use the first day of your birth month as the start date. I had no idea about the earnings test not applying once you hit 70, so that's a huge relief since I'm also still working part-time. The tax implications mentioned here are definitely something I need to look into as well. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complicated decisions!