Medicare approval made my SS retirement estimates and work credits disappear - help!

This is completely normal! Once you apply for any benefit through Social Security (including Medicare), your account switches to a different mode. The retirement estimator and work credits display disappear because the system now considers you a beneficiary rather than just a potential future claimant. Nothing is wrong with your account or your future retirement benefits - it's just how their system works.

Oh thank goodness! I was panicking thinking something had gone terribly wrong. So my work credits are still there in the system even though I can't see them anymore?

happened to me 2, freaked me out! but ur actual benefits will still be same when u apply, they just dont show the calculator anymore once ur getting ANY kind of benefit

That's such a relief to hear someone else went through this too! I wish the SSA would warn people this would happen - gave me quite a scare.

I HATE how SSA does this!! It makes NO sense to hide your retirement info just because you got Medicare! They should explain this to people instead of letting us panic when everything disappears. I called them FOUR times about this same issue before I got someone who could explain why all my info vanished. Their online system is stuck in the 1990s I swear.

same! their website is so confusing...

If you really need to see your estimated retirement benefits again, you can call the SSA directly and request that they provide you with a benefits estimate. The representatives can access this information even though it no longer displays in your online account. Just be prepared for a potentially long wait time when calling - I had to wait over 2 hours last month when I needed to discuss my retirement options.

Calling SSA is the WORST experience. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me from having to redial all day. Much better than waiting on hold forever.

This is a common source of confusion. When you're approved for Medicare, your MySocialSecurity account transitions from a \

Thank you for explaining this so clearly! I'll try requesting that benefit verification letter right away. Do you know if that letter will actually show my estimated benefit amount or just confirm that I'm eligible?

The benefit verification letter will confirm your eligibility but won't show your estimated amount. For a detailed benefit estimate, you'll need to either use the online calculator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html (which requires entering your personal information each time) or contact SSA directly to request a calculation. They can generate an official estimate based on your complete earnings record.

Perfect! I'll use that online estimator then. Much appreciated for all the helpful information!

my sister had this happen too but she got confused and thought she lost her medicare when the account changed lol

also just fyi when u do apply for retirement make sure u specify if u want medicare premiums taken out of SS check or billed separately, they dont always ask!

This exact thing happened to me last year! I was so worried I'd somehow lost my benefits eligibility. What I learned is that once you're receiving any SSA benefit (including Medicare), your account switches to "beneficiary status" and they remove the retirement estimator tools. Your work credits and earnings history are still there in their system - they just don't display them anymore in your online account. It's really poor user experience design on their part. If you need estimates going forward, you can still use the standalone retirement estimator on their website, but you'll have to enter your info each time since it won't pull from your account anymore.

I went through this same exact situation about 6 months ago when I got Medicare at 65! Like everyone else said, it's completely normal but SO poorly explained by SSA. What really helped me was creating a spreadsheet with my last known benefit estimates before they disappeared, so I could still do my retirement planning. Also, if you have any old Social Security statements (the paper ones they used to mail annually), those can be helpful for reference too. The good news is your actual benefits calculation will be exactly the same when you do apply for retirement - the system just hides the tools once you're getting any benefit.

This happened to me too when I turned 65 and got Medicare! I panicked for weeks thinking something was broken with my account. What's really frustrating is that SSA doesn't give you any warning this will happen - one day your retirement estimates are there, the next day they're gone with no explanation. I ended up calling three different times before someone finally explained that it's just how their system works once you become any type of beneficiary. For anyone else going through this, I'd recommend taking screenshots of your benefit estimates BEFORE you apply for Medicare so you have them for reference. The transition really caught me off guard and I wish I had been better prepared for it.

This thread has been so helpful! I'm 63 and planning to apply for Medicare in about 2 years, so now I know to screenshot all my retirement estimates before I do. It's really unfortunate that SSA doesn't warn people about this transition - seems like such a simple thing to add a notification about. I'm curious though - for those who went through this, did your actual retirement benefit amount when you eventually applied match what the estimates showed before they disappeared from your account? Just want to make sure the underlying calculations stay the same even though the display changes.

As someone who works in benefits administration, I can confirm this is absolutely normal and happens to everyone who enrolls in Medicare. The SSA system automatically changes your account status from "prospective beneficiary" to "current beneficiary" once you receive any benefit, including Medicare. Your work credits and earnings record are completely intact - they're just not displayed in the consumer-facing portal anymore. This is actually a security feature too, as it prevents potential identity thieves from accessing detailed benefit information if they somehow gained access to your account. The key thing to remember is that your future retirement benefits are calculated using the exact same formula and earnings history, regardless of what's displayed (or not displayed) in your online account. When you do apply for retirement benefits in a couple years, everything will be properly calculated based on your complete work history.

This is such a relief to read! I'm turning 64 next month and was planning to apply for Medicare soon, but I had no idea this would happen to my Social Security account. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - now I know to take screenshots of my retirement estimates and work credits before I apply. It's really frustrating that SSA doesn't warn people about this change, but at least I can prepare for it now. Sofia, I hope you're feeling much better about your situation after all these helpful responses!

Wow, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm 62 and was already worried about navigating Medicare and Social Security, but I had no clue that getting Medicare would make my retirement estimates disappear from my account. This seems like such basic information that SSA should communicate to people, but clearly they don't. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and make sure to screenshot everything before I apply for Medicare in a few years. Thank you Sofia for asking this question - you've probably helped hundreds of people who will read this and know what to expect! It's really reassuring to see how many community members have gone through the exact same experience and can confirm that everything is still calculated properly behind the scenes.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm 63 and have been dreading the whole Medicare/Social Security maze, but this discussion has been incredibly helpful. It's honestly mind-boggling that SSA doesn't warn people about this account change - it seems like such a simple thing to add a notification or FAQ about. I'm definitely going to take everyone's advice and screenshot my retirement estimates and work credits before applying for Medicare next year. Sofia, thank you for asking this question and to everyone who shared their experiences - you've probably saved countless people from the same panic! It's reassuring to know this is completely normal even though it's poorly communicated by SSA.

As someone who just went through this exact situation 3 months ago, I can't stress enough how normal this is! I had the same panic when my retirement estimates vanished after Medicare approval. What really helped me was calling SSA and asking them to mail me a "Social Security Statement" - it's different from the benefit verification letter and actually shows your complete earnings history and estimated benefits at different retirement ages. Takes about 2 weeks to arrive, but it's much more detailed than what you could see online before. Also, pro tip: if you have a my Social Security account login, you can still access your earnings record under the "Review your full earnings record now" link - that part doesn't disappear with Medicare enrollment. The estimates are gone, but your yearly earnings history should still be visible for your own records.