Can I collect Social Security at 62 while appealing SSDI denial? Timing questions!

Yes, you can definitely apply for retirement benefits while your SSDI appeal is pending - many people do this. You're correct that if you're not working, your benefit amount won't increase. However, there are a couple things to consider: 1) Early retirement at 62 means a permanent reduction (about 30% less than your full retirement age benefit) 2) If you eventually win your SSDI appeal, SSA will pay you the difference between your reduced retirement and the higher disability benefit retroactively to your disability onset date 3) If approved for SSDI, your benefit will automatically convert from reduced retirement to your full disability amount Since you're not working anyway, you're right that there's limited downside. I'd recommend applying for retirement benefits online through your my Social Security account as soon as possible if you need the income.

Be CAREFUL!! My cousin did this exact thing and got totally SCREWED by the system!!! She took early retirement while waiting for disability and when she finally won her appeal THREE YEARS LATER, they did some weird calculation that actually reduced her backpay by thousands!!! The SSA is NOT on your side. They will find ANY way to pay you less money. I would wait on the appeal first if you can survive financially.

same thing happened to me last year. took retirement at 62 while waiting on disability appeal. won my case eventually. they did some adjustments with the backpay but overall it worked out fine. don't stress too much about it.

I was in your same situation in 2023. My disability claim was denied initially, and I was about to turn 62. I needed income badly, so I applied for early retirement. One thing I discovered that saved me tons of frustration - trying to call SSA directly was absolutely impossible. I spent days getting busy signals or waiting on hold only to be disconnected. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA representative in less than 30 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The rep explained exactly how the retirement/disability coordination works and helped me submit my retirement application while preserving my disability appeal rights. Definitely worth it to get clear information directly from SSA about your specific situation.

my mom went through this and said whatever you do make sure you tell them you want to file a 'protective filing statement' for retirement benefits. this preserves your filing date even if you decide not to follow through. important for getting backpay later

You're asking exactly the right questions! Let me clarify a few important points: 1) You are correct that if you're not working, your Social Security benefit amount isn't growing significantly. However, there is still a reduction for claiming early at 62 versus waiting until your Full Retirement Age (FRA). 2) If you take retirement benefits now and later win your SSDI appeal, SSA will adjust your benefit. You'll receive the higher SSDI benefit amount going forward AND they'll pay you the difference between what you received in retirement benefits and what you should have received in SSDI benefits for the overlapping months. 3) The timing matters: If you need income now, apply for retirement benefits right away through your my Social Security account. It typically takes about 2-3 weeks to process a retirement claim if you have all your documentation ready. 4) Very important: Make sure to tell SSA that you have a pending disability appeal when you apply for retirement benefits. This ensures proper coordination between the two systems. 5) If you win your SSDI appeal, your benefits will automatically convert from reduced retirement to your full disability amount with no action needed from you. This approach is called the "simultaneous claims" strategy and is perfectly legitimate. Many people in your situation take this route to ensure some income while waiting for the disability appeal process, which can take 1-2 years to resolve.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm going to go ahead and apply for retirement benefits online this week. I'll make sure to mention my pending disability appeal as suggested. The financial stress has been overwhelming, so getting some income while waiting for the appeal makes the most sense for my situation. I appreciate the explanation about how they'll adjust the benefits if I win my appeal later. One less thing to worry about!

Just wanted to add one more important point that might help - when you apply for retirement benefits online, make sure to keep a copy of your confirmation number and any documents you submit. Also, if your SSDI appeal goes to the hearing level (which many do), having the retirement benefits already in place can actually be helpful because it shows you've been consistently unable to work since your onset date. The Administrative Law Judge will see that you took early retirement immediately after stopping work, which supports your disability claim timeline. Best of luck with both your retirement application and your appeal!

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!