Can I collect Social Security while receiving short-term disability from my employer?

Yes, you absolutely can start collecting Social Security retirement benefits while on short-term disability from your employer. These are completely separate programs. Your short-term disability is an insurance benefit through your employer, while Social Security retirement is a federal benefit you've earned through your work history. They don't offset each other.

My sister did this exact thing last year! She had knee surgery and collected both her work disability and started SS at the same time. Worked fine for her, no problems at all.

You MIGHT have issues if you were getting SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) instead of regular SS retirement, but since you're 66 (which I think is your Full Retirement Age?), you're good to go! Just make sure to apply for your retirement benefits about 3 months before you want them to start.

Apply right now! Social Security recommends applying 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin. If you want January payments, you should apply no later than October. The application takes time to process, and your first payment will come the month AFTER your benefits start (so February would be your first payment for January benefits). And to confirm what others said - employer short-term disability and SS retirement benefits don't conflict. They're completely separate systems. Your HR person might be confusing this with SSDI, which is different from retirement benefits.

My mom was on workmans comp AND social security at same time so yeah u can do both no problem!!

I've been trying to contact Social Security to ask almost the same question for WEEKS. Can't get through on the phone (always disconnects after 30+ minutes on hold) and the local office is booked 3 months out for appointments. So frustrating! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a live agent. Took about 10 minutes instead of hours of redial. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Anyway, I confirmed the same thing others are saying - short-term disability from an employer doesn't affect your Social Security retirement benefits. They're totally separate.

Whatever you do DONT wait until your disability ends to apply!!! Apply NOW for January!! My husband waited until his short term ended and then had a 2 month gap with NO income because Social Security takes forever to start paying even after approval. You can do both at same time but SS takes forever to kick in!

One more thing to consider: if you're going to receive health insurance through your employer during your short-term disability period, make sure you understand when that coverage ends. You'll want to time your Medicare enrollment properly (if you haven't already enrolled). Usually you'd enroll in Medicare when you start Social Security at your FRA, but if you have employer coverage, the rules are different.

When does ur surgery happen? November like u said or December like in ur post? Just wondering if that changes anything with when u should apply...

Will your short term disability be 60% of your pay like most plans? I'm trying to calculate if I can afford to do something similar next year. And do you know if the STD payments are taxable? I heard they're only taxable if your employer paid the premiums, but not if you paid them yourself. Social Security is definitely taxable though if you have other income...

Since you're at your Full Retirement Age, you'll get 100% of your benefit amount regardless of any other income. There's no earnings test once you reach FRA. So even if you decided to go back to work after recovery (part-time or whatever), it wouldn't reduce your Social Security payments at all.

Just wanted to add - make sure you keep good records of everything! When I was on short-term disability and started Social Security at the same time, I kept copies of all my paperwork, benefit statements, and correspondence. It made tax time much easier since both types of income have different reporting requirements. Also, if you have direct deposit set up with your employer for the disability payments, you might want to consider setting up a separate account for your Social Security payments so you can easily track each source of income. Good luck with your surgery and recovery!

This is such helpful information! I'm actually in a very similar situation - turning 67 next month and considering retirement while dealing with some health issues. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring. I had no idea that Social Security recommends applying 3-4 months in advance - that's definitely something my financial advisor never mentioned. One question for the group: has anyone dealt with the transition from employer health insurance to Medicare while on short-term disability? I'm wondering if there are any special considerations or timing issues I should be aware of. My company's benefits coordinator wasn't very knowledgeable about this scenario either. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it really helps to hear from people who have actually been through this process!

I went through something very similar two years ago! Had to have back surgery and was on short-term disability for 3 months while starting my Social Security at 66. The key things I learned: 1) Apply for SS NOW if you want January benefits - don't wait! 2) Your employer's short-term disability and Social Security are completely separate systems, so there's no conflict at all. 3) Make sure you understand when your employer health insurance coverage ends versus when your disability payments end - they might be different dates. 4) Keep detailed records of everything for tax purposes since you'll have income from both sources. The whole process was much smoother than I expected, and having both income sources during recovery was a huge relief financially. Your HR person probably just isn't familiar with this scenario - it's actually pretty common! Best of luck with your surgery and recovery.

Just to echo what everyone else has said - you're absolutely fine to collect both! I'm a retired benefits coordinator and saw this situation all the time. The confusion your HR person mentioned about "double-dipping" probably comes from mixing up different types of disability benefits. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can have offsets with some employer benefits, but regular Social Security retirement benefits at your FRA do not. Since you're 66 and at your Full Retirement Age, there are no earnings limitations or conflicts with other income sources. Definitely apply for your SS benefits now though - the 3-4 month processing time is real, and you don't want to be stuck waiting for payments to start while you're recovering from surgery. Wishing you a smooth surgery and recovery!

I'm in almost the exact same boat! I'm 65 and planning to retire early next year due to some ongoing health issues. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the 3-4 month application timeline for Social Security. My company's benefits team also seemed confused when I asked about collecting both short-term disability and starting SS retirement benefits. It's such a relief to see so many people confirming that these are completely separate programs with no conflicts. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice and apply for my Social Security benefits well in advance. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this kind of real-world advice is so much more valuable than trying to navigate the bureaucracy alone!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm 64 and considering a similar path - I have a chronic condition that might require me to go on short-term disability next year, and I was worried about how that would affect my ability to start Social Security at 66. Reading everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease. The key takeaways I'm getting are: 1) These are completely separate benefit systems with no conflicts, 2) Apply for SS 3-4 months before you want benefits to start, and 3) Keep detailed records for tax purposes. One question I have - for those who went through this, did you find it helpful to give Social Security a heads up about your situation when you applied, or did you just apply normally without mentioning the disability leave? I'm wondering if there's any advantage to being transparent about the timing or if it just adds unnecessary complexity to the application.

I just wanted to add my experience since I went through something very similar last year. I was 67 when I had hip replacement surgery and was on short-term disability for about 3 months while starting my Social Security retirement benefits. Everything everyone has said here is absolutely correct - these are two completely separate programs and there's no conflict at all. One thing I'd suggest is to set up your Social Security direct deposit to go into a different account than your disability payments if possible. It made tracking everything so much easier, especially when tax season came around. Also, don't be surprised if the first Social Security payment takes an extra week or two - mine was delayed slightly during the initial setup, but after that first payment everything was smooth. The peace of mind of having both income sources during recovery was incredible. I didn't have to stress about finances while focusing on getting better. Your timing sounds perfect with applying now for January benefits. Best wishes for your surgery and recovery!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread to read through! I'm actually in a similar situation - turning 66 next month and dealing with a pending knee surgery that will likely require short-term disability. Like many others here, my company's HR department seemed confused about whether I could collect both benefits simultaneously. It's amazing how consistent everyone's experiences have been - these really are two completely separate systems with no conflicts. The advice about applying 3-4 months in advance for Social Security is something I never would have known without this community discussion. I was planning to wait until much closer to when I wanted benefits to start. The tips about separate bank accounts for tracking and keeping detailed records are also really practical suggestions that I'll definitely implement. It sounds like the key is just staying organized and not overthinking the process since there aren't actually any complicated rules or restrictions to worry about. Thank you to everyone who shared their personal experiences - it's so much more reassuring to hear from people who have actually been through this than trying to get answers from official channels that often seem uninformed about these common scenarios. This community is a great resource!

I'm 65 and in a somewhat similar situation - I've been considering early retirement due to some health challenges, and this entire discussion has been incredibly eye-opening! I had absolutely no idea about the 3-4 month advance application requirement for Social Security. Like so many others here, I was under the impression you could just apply whenever you wanted benefits to start. What really strikes me is how consistent everyone's experiences have been - it seems like this scenario of collecting employer short-term disability and Social Security retirement simultaneously is actually quite common, even though HR departments don't seem well-informed about it. The practical tips about separate bank accounts and detailed record-keeping are exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't get from official websites or pamphlets. I'm definitely going to start researching my own Social Security timeline now, and if I do end up needing to go on disability leave next year, I'll feel much more confident about the process thanks to all the experiences shared here. It's such a relief to know these programs truly don't conflict with each other. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their stories - this kind of community knowledge is invaluable!

I'm so grateful for all the detailed responses here! Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. I was really worried about potential complications, but it's clear that collecting both short-term disability and Social Security retirement benefits is completely normal and allowed. The biggest eye-opener for me was learning about the 3-4 month advance application timeline - I had no idea Social Security took that long to process! I'm definitely going to start my application this week to make sure everything is ready for January. The tips about setting up separate bank accounts and keeping detailed records are really smart too. It's also helpful to know that my HR person's confusion about "double-dipping" is probably just mixing up different types of benefits. At least now I can move forward with confidence knowing that these are truly separate systems. Thank you all so much for sharing your personal experiences - this community knowledge has been way more helpful than anything I could have gotten through official channels. I feel much better prepared for both my surgery and retirement now!

I'm 67 and went through this exact situation two years ago when I had gallbladder surgery! I was so worried about potential conflicts between my employer's short-term disability and starting Social Security, but it turned out to be completely straightforward. Like everyone else has mentioned, these are totally separate benefit systems. One thing I'd add that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet - make sure you understand exactly how your employer calculates your short-term disability payments if you're planning to officially retire during the disability period. Some companies base it on your salary at the time you go on leave, while others might adjust it if your employment status changes mid-way through. It didn't affect my Social Security at all, but it's good to know for budgeting purposes. Also, definitely take everyone's advice about applying NOW for your January Social Security benefits. I made the mistake of waiting until December to apply for February benefits and ended up with a month-long gap because of processing delays. The financial stress during recovery is the last thing you need when you're trying to heal! The peace of mind of having both income sources during my recovery was incredible. You're making a smart decision timing your retirement with your surgery - it gives you the freedom to focus completely on getting better without worrying about rushing back to work. Best of luck with everything!

This thread has been absolutely amazing to read through! I'm 65 and have been putting off retirement while dealing with some ongoing health issues, but seeing all these success stories gives me so much confidence. The consistent message that short-term disability and Social Security retirement are completely separate systems really puts my mind at ease. What really stands out to me is how many people mentioned their HR departments being confused or unhelpful about this situation. It seems like this is actually a pretty common scenario, but one that benefits coordinators just aren't well-trained on. The practical advice here - especially about the 3-4 month application timeline and keeping separate bank accounts - is exactly the kind of real-world guidance you can't get from official sources. I'm definitely going to start planning my own transition more seriously now. It's so encouraging to see people successfully navigate major surgery, disability leave, and retirement all at the same time without any benefit conflicts. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community knowledge is invaluable for those of us trying to figure out these complex life transitions!