Can I switch from early SS retirement to SSDI at age 68 if recently disabled?
I've been receiving my Social Security retirement benefits since I turned 62 (reduced amount). I'm now 68 and unfortunately developed severe rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative disc disease last year that has made it impossible for me to continue my part-time consulting work. My doctor says I'm definitely disabled according to SSA standards. Someone told me I might be able to apply for SSDI now and get a higher payment than my reduced retirement benefit. Is this true? Has anyone successfully switched from early retirement to disability benefits after reaching full retirement age? The local office gave me conflicting information when I called.
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Grace Patel
No, unfortunately you cannot switch to SSDI after you've reached your Full Retirement Age (which is 66 or 67 depending on your birth year). SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits at FRA. Since you're 68, you're already past that conversion point and are permanently locked into the retirement system.
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Charlie Yang
•Thanks for the response. That's disappointing. The SSA rep I talked to seemed unsure about this when I called. Is there any other way to increase my benefit amount now?
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ApolloJackson
The previous poster is correct. You cannot file for SSDI after reaching Full Retirement Age (FRA). If you had become disabled before your FRA, you could have switched from early retirement to SSDI, which would have eliminated the early filing reduction. However, since you're 68 and your disability occurred after FRA, there's no pathway to switch to SSDI. Your benefit amount is permanently reduced because you claimed at 62 rather than waiting until your FRA. The only increases you'll see now are the annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) that all Social Security recipients receive.
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Charlie Yang
•I appreciate the detailed explanation. This makes more sense now, though it's not what I was hoping to hear. I guess that's what I get for taking benefits early, but at the time I really needed the income.
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Isabella Russo
my sister tried to do same thing last year. she was 67 and got hurt bad in car accident. SSA told her no way to switch once past FRA. early retirement penalty sticks forever sorry
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Charlie Yang
•I'm sorry about your sister's accident. Thanks for sharing her experience - seems like I'm definitely out of luck on this one.
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Rajiv Kumar
I went through something similar, though slightly different. I took early retirement at 63, then became disabled at 65, applied for SSDI and got approved BEFORE reaching my full retirement age. This eliminated my early filing reduction. The key difference is that I did this BEFORE reaching FRA (which was 66+2mo for me). The system is incredibly frustrating. I tried for WEEKS to get clear information from SSA before figuring this out. Every time I called I got disconnected or waited on hold forever.
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Aria Washington
•I had the same experience with endless holds and disconnections when trying to sort out my mom's benefits. Eventually I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual SSA representative without the wait. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Totally worth it for important benefit questions like this where you need definitive answers from SSA.
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Liam O'Reilly
WAIT! talk to a lawyer!!!! the rules are super complicated and sometimes ssa reps dont even know all the rules!!! my uncle got something changed with his benefits when he was 70 so dont give up
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ApolloJackson
•While I appreciate your enthusiasm, this is actually one of the clearer rules in the Social Security system. After Full Retirement Age, you cannot switch to SSDI because disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits at FRA. A lawyer cannot change this fundamental rule. What your uncle likely did was something different - perhaps he qualified for additional benefits as a spouse or survivor, requested a benefit recalculation due to continued work, or corrected an error in his earnings record. Those are different scenarios than trying to switch from retirement to SSDI after FRA.
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Chloe Delgado
It's not fair how they penalize us for taking early retirement when lots of us had no choice. I took mine at 62 also and now my check is so small with inflation. Can't even afford my medications.
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Aria Washington
•Have you looked into Extra Help for prescription costs? It's a Medicare program that helps with drug costs if you have limited income. Also, every state has a SHIP program (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) with counselors who can help you find programs to reduce costs. Totally free service.
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Chloe Delgado
•No i haven't heard of that. will look into it thanks
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ApolloJackson
To provide some additional clarity: The reason you can't switch to SSDI at 68 is because disability benefits under Social Security are specifically designed to replace earnings before normal retirement age. Once you reach FRA, the system treats everyone as retired, regardless of disability status. If your disability had begun before your FRA (even while receiving early retirement), you could have applied for SSDI and potentially received your full primary insurance amount instead of the reduced amount. The only ways to increase your benefit now would be: 1. If you continued working after age 62 and had high earnings that might increase your benefit calculation 2. If you qualify for spousal or survivor benefits that might be higher than your own 3. If there are errors in your earnings record that could be corrected
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Charlie Yang
•Thank you for this thorough explanation. My husband is still living so no survivor benefits, and his own SS is lower than mine. I did work part-time until last year - would that potentially increase my benefit? Should I ask for a recalculation?
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ApolloJackson
•Yes, absolutely request a recalculation! If you continued working after starting benefits at 62, and those earnings were substantial enough, SSA should automatically recalculate your benefit annually. However, it doesn't hurt to specifically request they review your record to ensure those recent earnings are properly reflected in your benefit amount.
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Isabella Russo
my neighbor said she got extra $$ from SS by calling and asking for whats called a "benefit recalculation" after she stopped working. might be worth trying
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Charlie Yang
•Thanks! I'll definitely call and ask about this. Hopefully I can get through to someone who knows what they're talking about.
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