Can I collect Social Security retirement benefits while still receiving employer paid medical leave?

my husband did this last year!! he had 16 weeks of sick leave from his company and started taking ss about 8 weeks in. he got both until the sick leave ran out. your company might have different rules tho

This is specifically addressed in SSA's rules. Paid medical leave from your employer is not considered the same as disability benefits for Social Security purposes. You can receive both your employer's PML and early retirement benefits simultaneously. However, keep in mind three important points: 1. Filing 14 months before your FRA means approximately a 7.8% permanent reduction in your monthly benefit amount 2. If your PML counts as wages, it could trigger the earnings test if it exceeds the 2025 annual limit ($22,200 for those under FRA) 3. Check your employer's specific plan rules - some rare PML plans do have offsets for Social Security benefits

To clarify - short-term disability insurance payments are treated differently than regular wages or PML. For the earnings test, what matters is whether your employer is counting the PML as wages on your W-2. Some companies classify it as wages (which would count toward the earnings test) while others don't (in which case it wouldn't affect your SS benefits). The best approach is to ask your HR department specifically: "Will my paid medical leave be reported as wages on my W-2?" That will tell you if it might trigger the earnings test.

I had a NIGHTMARE getting through to SSA to ask almost this exact question last month. Waited on hold for over 3 hours and then got disconnected TWICE!!! Finally I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU When I finally talked to SSA, they confirmed what others are saying - medical leave payments don't automatically stop your retirement benefits, but you need to know if they count as earnings for the test. Worth calling them to confirm for your specific situation.

One thing no one has mentioned yet - if you're planning to retire permanently, you should consider whether it makes more sense financially to wait until your Full Retirement Age rather than taking benefits 14 months early. The reduction is permanent, and if you have a decent life expectancy, the math often favors waiting. Have you run the calculations both ways?

THE SSA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR MEDICAL LEAVE! This is between you and your employer only. SSA just wants to know if you're still working or not for earnings test. If you're not going back to work and PML is just running out, file now and get your money!!

Sorry to hijack but this is similar to my situation... I'm getting workers comp payments AND thinking about SS retirement (I'm 64). Does anyone know if workers comp reduces SS retirement? I know it affects SSDI but not sure about regular retirement benefits.

also check with ur tax person cuz some of ur benefits might be taxable depending on other income

I don't think anybody mentioned this yet, but you should also check if starting your Social Security affects any health insurance you might have through your employer while on medical leave. That was a nasty surprise for my sister when she did something similar!

Just wanted to add another perspective - I was in a very similar situation 2 years ago at age 66. I was on paid medical leave after knee surgery and decided to file for SS retirement benefits. The key thing that helped me was getting everything in writing from my employer's benefits department. I asked them to confirm in an email: 1) Whether my PML would continue if I filed for SS, 2) How the PML would be reported for tax purposes, and 3) Whether there were any plan provisions that would offset my PML if I received SS benefits. Having it documented protected me later when there was some confusion in payroll. Everything worked out fine - I got both benefits until my PML expired, then transitioned to full retirement. The peace of mind from having clear written confirmation was worth the extra step!