Can my 62-year-old sister switch from SSI to Social Security retirement after 20+ years of work?
My sister has been on SSI for the past 3 years due to some health issues that made it impossible for her to keep working. Before that though, she worked consistently for over 20 years (mostly retail and some office jobs). She's turning 62 this June and I'm wondering if she should apply for regular Social Security retirement benefits instead of SSI? Would she qualify based on her work history? And would her retirement benefit likely be higher than her current SSI payment of $943/month? I'm trying to help her figure out what would be best financially. Anyone gone through something similar or know how this works?
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Olivia Garcia
Yes, your sister absolutely can and SHOULD apply for her Social Security retirement benefits! If she has 20+ years of work history, she almost certainly has enough credits to qualify. The real question is whether her Social Security retirement benefit will be higher than her current SSI payment. SSI has a federal maximum of $943 (for 2025), but Social Security retirement benefits are based on her lifetime earnings. With 20+ years of work, there's a good chance her retirement benefit would be higher, especially if she had decent wages during those working years. Important to know: if her retirement benefit is less than her current SSI, she can receive both to make up the difference. If her retirement benefit is higher, the SSI would stop, but she'd have more money overall.
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Liam Brown
•Thank you so much for this information! That's really helpful to know she might be able to get both if the retirement isn't enough. Do you know if she should wait until she actually turns 62 to apply, or can she start the application process a bit earlier?
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Noah Lee
my mom did this exact thing last year! she was on SSI for like 5 years then switched to regular ss when she hit 62. her benefit went up by like $230 a month so def worth doing. she did lose medicaid tho which was a hassle
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Liam Brown
•Oh that's good to know about the potential Medicaid issue. My sister really depends on her healthcare coverage. Did your mom find an alternative that worked for her?
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Ava Hernandez
One thing nobody mentioned is that she can apply 3 months before she turns 62. Tell her not to wait until her birthday month! Also, when she switches from SSI to retirement, there's sometimes a gap between payments that can really mess people up financially. Make sure she has some savings to cover that transition period.
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Isabella Martin
•This is a critical point about the 3-month advance application. Social Security refers to this as the "protective filing date" option. It ensures benefits start promptly when she becomes eligible without delays. Regarding the potential gap between SSI ending and retirement benefits beginning - this is why proper coordination between programs is essential. When she applies, she should explicitly ask the representative about how to manage this transition to prevent any payment gaps. The SSA should coordinate this internally, but it's good to be proactive about it.
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Elijah Jackson
Your sister needs to be VERY CAREFUL about this!!! The SSA screws this up ALL THE TIME!!! When my brother switched from SSI to retirement, they cancelled his SSI before his retirement started and he had NO INCOME for 6 weeks!!! And getting it fixed was IMPOSSIBLE because no one would answer the phones!!! They dont care if you have no money for food or rent!!!
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Liam Brown
•Oh no, that sounds terrifying! Did your brother eventually get it sorted out? I'm definitely worried about something like this happening to my sister.
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Elijah Jackson
•Yeah he finally got it fixed but only because our cousin drove him to the SS office and they waited ALL DAY!! He had to borrow money from family to pay his rent that month. The whole thing was a NIGHTMARE!!
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Sophia Miller
My wife was in a similar situation last summer. The exact amount she could get depended on which years she worked and how much she made each year. They look at her highest 35 years of earnings to calculate her benefit.
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Liam Brown
•Thanks for sharing. I'm not sure if my sister has 35 years of work - probably closer to 25 before her health declined. Will that reduce her benefit amount significantly?
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Olivia Garcia
•Yes, having fewer than 35 years of work will affect her benefit calculation because Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings to calculate your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Years with no earnings count as zeros in the calculation. With about 25 years of work, she'll have 10 years of zeros averaged in, which will lower her benefit somewhat. However, with 25 years of decent earnings, she could still receive more than the SSI maximum. She can create an account at my.ssa.gov to see her earnings record and get an estimate of her retirement benefit.
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Mason Davis
I've helped several clients through this exact transition. Here are the key points: 1. She should apply 3 months before turning 62 2. She'll need to report the new SS retirement income to SSI, which will reduce or eliminate her SSI 3. If her retirement benefit is less than her current SSI, they'll supplement it to bring her up to her current level 4. This change could affect her Medicaid eligibility depending on your state's rules 5. Once approved for retirement benefits, she'll likely qualify for Medicare at 65 The most frustrating part is actually reaching someone at SSA to handle this correctly. My clients have had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without the endless waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Documentation is key - make sure she keeps copies of everything she submits to SSA during this transition.
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Liam Brown
•Thank you for these detailed steps! I hadn't heard of Claimyr before but will definitely check it out. My sister has tried calling SSA before and always gives up after being on hold forever. And good point about documentation - I'll help her keep everything organized.
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Noah Lee
does ur sister have any disabilities? because if she does maybe she should apply for SSDI instead of retirement? i think SSDI pays more but idk for sure
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Liam Brown
•She does have some health issues, but I think she's on SSI rather than SSDI because she didn't qualify for disability when she applied (something about not having enough recent work credits). That's why I'm looking into the retirement option now.
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Isabella Martin
•Just to clarify, your initial assessment is correct. SSDI requires recent work credits (generally 20 credits earned in the 10 years before becoming disabled). If your sister has been on SSI rather than SSDI, it's likely because she didn't meet that recency requirement when she became unable to work. Social Security retirement benefits have a different requirement - you generally need 40 total credits (about 10 years of work) throughout your lifetime, without the recency requirement. With 20+ years of work history, she should easily qualify for retirement benefits when she turns 62.
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Sophia Miller
i wonder if her retirement $ will be affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision? my cousin had problems with that when he switched from government pension to social security
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Ava Hernandez
•WEP only applies if you receive a pension from work not covered by Social Security (like some government or foreign jobs). If the sister worked regular jobs that paid into Social Security, WEP wouldn't apply. You're thinking of a different situation.
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Liam Brown
Update: Thank you everyone for all the great advice! I talked to my sister and we're going to start gathering her documents now and plan to apply in March (3 months before her birthday as suggested). I've also helped her create an account on my.ssa.gov to check her earnings record. According to the estimate, her retirement benefit would be about $1,120/month, which is definitely better than her current SSI payment! We're also going to check on how this might affect her Medicaid coverage since that's really important for her health needs.
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Olivia Garcia
•That's great news about the benefit estimate! $1,120 is significantly better than the SSI payment. Definitely follow up about the Medicaid situation - depending on your state, she may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program to help with medical costs even if she loses Medicaid eligibility. The local Area Agency on Aging might be able to help with figuring out the healthcare options.
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Elijah Jackson
•MAKE SURE you print out copies of EVERYTHING from the website!!! Screenshots too!!! The SSA will claim they never got her application or lose her records, they ALWAYS do this!!!
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