Is SSDI calculated at age 62 or FRA (67)? Denied for back surgery, now approaching early retirement

SSDI benefits are calculated based on your full retirement age (67) benefit amount, not your reduced age 62 amount. If approved for SSDI, you'd receive your full PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) regardless of your age. This is one big advantage of SSDI over early retirement - no reduction penalty. Regarding your situation, filing for early retirement at 62 while your SSDI appeal is pending is complicated. You can do it, but there are important considerations: 1. If you take early retirement and later win your SSDI case, SSA would pay you the difference between your reduced retirement and the full SSDI amount for those months. 2. However, if your SSDI claim is ultimately denied, you're permanently stuck with the reduced early retirement amount (about 30% less than FRA). 3. Once you reach full retirement age, SSDI automatically converts to regular retirement benefits anyway.

my neighbor went thru something similar with her back. she took early retirement while waiting for disability decision. said it was better than having NO income. when she got approved for disabilty later they just adjusted everything and she got backpay too

I was in a similar situation 2 years ago. Applied for SSDI for severe arthritis, got denied TWICE, then finally approved on the hearing level. The wait was AWFUL! If I could do it over again, I would have taken early retirement while waiting because I ended up with no income for 14 months and nearly lost my house!!! One thing nobody told me - SSDI is based on your FULL retirement amount but they also look at your "date of disability onset" which affects how much backpay you get. Make sure your medical records clearly show when your back problems became severe enough to prevent work. IMPORTANT: If you do take early retirement, you MUST keep appealing your SSDI case. Once you're approved for SSDI, they'll switch you from early retirement to SSDI (which equals your full retirement amount). The difference is HUGE over time!!!

Have you looked into getting a disability attorney? They typically work on contingency (only get paid if you win) and the fee is capped by law at 25% of your backpay or $7,000, whichever is less. They can really help with the appeal process and increase your chances of winning. The key is having solid medical documentation of your inability to work - especially important since you had surgery but are still having problems afterwards.

I successfully navigated this exact situation three years ago. Here's what I learned: 1. SSDI is calculated at your full retirement age amount (NOT reduced). This is a big financial difference - approximately 30% more monthly. 2. Taking early retirement while appealing SSDI is perfectly acceptable and won't hurt your disability case. The systems are designed to work together. 3. If you win SSDI later, they'll switch you to the higher amount retroactively and adjust any payments. 4. For back issues specifically, make sure all imaging (MRIs, X-rays) are included with your appeal along with functional limitations documented by your doctor. 5. The SSDI appeal process has several stages: reconsideration, hearing, appeals council. Most approvals happen at the hearing level when you can explain your situation to a judge.

anybody else spend hours trying to call SSA and just get disconnected?? its driving me crazy, i need to ask about this same thing for my husband but cant get thru to anyone!!

Another thing to consider - if your back problems are serious enough that you can't work, but not quite enough for SSDI approval, look into medical vocational allowances. After age 60, SSA has more lenient rules about approving disability if you can't do your past work and have limited education/skills for desk jobs. With back problems, heavy lifting restrictions alone might qualify you under these rules!

I took early retirement at 62 when my disability claim was pending. Big mistake IMHO. When I finally got approved for SSDI 8 months later, they did switch me to the higher payment (about $600 more per month for me), but I'm worried about what happens at age 67. Somebody at my retirement group said that because I took early retirement first, my permanent benefit after 67 will still be reduced. Anyone know if that's true?

A couple timing considerations for you: 1. There's a 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits after your established onset date of disability. So backpay doesn't start immediately from when you became disabled. 2. If you take early retirement while appealing, and then win your SSDI case, they'll pay you the difference retroactively, but this can create some complicated tax situations. 3. The SSDI appeal process can take 1-2 years to reach the hearing level, so having some income during that time is important to consider.

Carmen, I went through almost the exact same situation last year - back surgery, SSDI denial, and turning 62 while appealing. Here's what I wish someone had told me: 1. **Financial bridge**: Taking early retirement at 62 while appealing SSDI can be a smart financial move. You'll have income while waiting for your appeal decision, which can take 12-18 months. 2. **No harm to your case**: Filing for early retirement won't hurt your SSDI appeal. SSA treats them as separate determinations, and many people do both simultaneously. 3. **The math works in your favor**: If you win SSDI later, you'll get bumped up to the full retirement amount PLUS backpay for the difference. If you lose the appeal, at least you had income during the waiting period. 4. **Construction background helps**: Given your 30+ years in construction and limited education, you actually have a good shot at approval under the medical-vocational guidelines, especially at your age. Back problems + inability to do past heavy work + limited transferable skills = strong case. My advice: File for early retirement when you turn 62 next month to get income flowing, but absolutely continue your SSDI appeal. Get all your post-surgery medical records to your attorney (if you don't have one, get one - they're worth it). The financial difference between early retirement and SSDI is too significant to give up on. Hang in there - the system is frustrating but it does work eventually for legitimate cases like yours.

I'm sorry but I think there might be some confusion in this thread. The comment asking about my SSDI appeal outcome was actually posted by Eli Butler, but it was tagged to Emily Sanjay who shared the great advice about the financial bridge strategy. To clarify - I'm Carmen Diaz, the original poster asking about SSDI vs early retirement. Emily Sanjay was the one who went through a similar situation and gave the excellent breakdown about filing for early retirement while continuing the SSDI appeal. But I'm definitely interested to hear Emily's response about her outcome and the monthly difference between early retirement and SSDI amounts if she's willing to share! That information would be really valuable for my decision-making. Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses - this community has been amazing in helping me understand my options.