Can I collect Social Security while receiving short-term disability from my employer?
I'm scheduled for major surgery in December and will be on short-term disability through my employer for about 4 months afterward. I've decided this is a good time to finally retire (I'm 66). My employer's HR department wasn't clear on this - can I start receiving my Social Security retirement benefits in January while still collecting the short-term disability payments until my doctor clears me (probably around April)? Or do I need to wait until the short-term disability ends completely? I don't want to mess anything up with either payment source.
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Brady Clean
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.
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Molly Hansen
AuthorThank you! That's a relief. My HR person seemed unsure and mentioned something about 'double-dipping' which made me nervous. Is there anything special I need to mention when I apply for my SS benefits?
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Skylar Neal
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.
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Vincent Bimbach
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.
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Molly Hansen
AuthorYes, I hit my FRA earlier this year. Do you know if I should wait until January to actually apply, or should I do it now even though I want the benefits to start in January?
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Kelsey Chin
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.
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Norah Quay
My mom was on workmans comp AND social security at same time so yeah u can do both no problem!!
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Leo McDonald
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.
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Molly Hansen
AuthorThanks for the tip about Claimyr. I might need that if I run into phone trouble. Did you find applying online was straightforward or did you need to talk to someone?
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Leo McDonald
The online application was pretty easy, but I had a question about my past earnings record that wasn't clear on my statement. That's why I needed to speak to someone. If your situation is straightforward, online might be all you need.
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Jessica Nolan
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!
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Kelsey Chin
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.
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Molly Hansen
AuthorThat's a great point I hadn't considered! I'll check with HR about exactly when my health insurance ends. I think it continues through the short-term disability period but stops once I officially retire. I already signed up for Medicare Part A when I turned 65 but held off on Part B because of my work coverage.
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Skylar Neal
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...
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Molly Hansen
AuthorSorry for the confusion! Surgery is scheduled for December 15th. I get nervous talking about it and mix up the dates sometimes.
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Vincent Bimbach
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...
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Brady Clean
Not to hijack the thread, but yes - short-term disability payments are taxable if your employer paid the premiums (which is most common). If you paid the premiums with after-tax dollars, then the benefits are tax-free. And you're right about Social Security potentially being taxable depending on your combined income.
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Kelsey Chin
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.
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Molly Hansen
AuthorThat's great to know! I was thinking about maybe doing some consulting work after I recover, just to stay busy. Nice to know it won't affect my SS benefits.
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Malik Robinson
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!
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