SSDI for 20 years - should husband switch to spousal benefits at 62 or stay on disability?

Your husband should definitely stay on SSDI until his Full Retirement Age (FRA). At that point, his SSDI will automatically convert to regular retirement benefits at his full amount. There's no advantage to him switching to retirement benefits at 62 because he'd just get a reduced amount, whereas SSDI pays his full disability benefit regardless of age.As for spousal benefits, he might qualify for those based on your record once you file for your own benefits, but only if the spousal amount would be higher than his own SSDI/retirement benefit. Typically, spousal benefits max out at 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), and that's if he waits until his FRA to file for them. If your work record would give him more than what he's currently getting, that might be worth exploring.I helped my sister navigate this exact situation last year, and contacting SSA directly was really helpful. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for this explanation! So if I understand correctly, there's no action needed on his part until FRA when the SSDI automatically converts? And only then should we look into whether spousal benefits might be higher? That makes sense. Do you know if the SSDI-to-retirement conversion affects the amount at all, or does it stay the same? I'm also wondering about timing for my own benefits now.

I went through EXACTLY this with my wife!! She was on SSDI for 15 years and I was the higher earner. BIG MISTAKE we made was having her apply for retirement at 62 - her benefit went DOWN because retirement at 62 is reduced but SSDI gives you your full amount!!! Don't do what we did!!!!From what the SS agent told us after we realized our mistake, SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits at his FRA but the amount stays the SAME. No reduction!!! And he CANNOT get spousal benefits until YOU file for your benefits first. Some SSA phone reps don't even know this stuff right so be careful who you talk to!!!!

Oh wow, thanks for the warning! I'm so sorry you and your wife had to learn this the hard way. Did you ever manage to fix the situation after you realized the mistake?

No, once you switch from SSDI to retirement, you can't go back. We tried to appeal it but they said the election was irrevocable. We lost about $300/month because of that decision and it adds up over years! My suggestion is just leave everything alone until his FRA.

That's awful that you couldn't reverse it! Thank you so much for the warning. I definitely don't want us to lose money like that. So it sounds like the best approach is to just let his SSDI continue until it automatically converts at his FRA. Then I need to figure out my own filing strategy.

You need to talk to a Social Security agent directly. I was in a somewhat similar situation and got different advice from every person I talked to until I finally got someone who actually understood the rules. You need someone to look at your specific numbers because general advice doesn't always apply to unique situations like SSDI.

Good luck getting through to an actual person at SSA though! I tried calling for 3 days straight last month about my widow's benefits and either got disconnected or had to hang up after being on hold for 2+ hours. Their phone system is absolutely terrible.

I had the same issue trying to get through to SSA about my disability review. After wasting days trying to reach someone, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in under 30 minutes. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Their system basically navigates the SSA phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is on the line. Totally worth it for complicated situations like this where you need to speak with someone who actually knows the rules. I was skeptical at first but it really worked.

Thanks for the tip! I definitely need to speak with someone who knows these rules specifically. I'll check out that video. Getting accurate information about our specific situation seems really important, especially after hearing about mistakes that can't be undone.

My understanding is that when someone on SSDI reaches full retirement age, their benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits but the amount doesn't change. It's just an administrative change on SSA's side.The rules about spousal benefits are complex, but generally: if your husband's own benefit (whether SSDI or retirement) is less than half of your PIA, he might be eligible for an additional amount to bring him up to that 50% level once YOU file for benefits.As the higher earner, you're right that conventional wisdom suggests waiting until at least your FRA (or even 70) to maximize your benefit. This is even more important in your case because your benefit amount will eventually determine both your payment AND potentially part of his (through spousal benefits if applicable).The real question is when YOU should file for YOUR benefits, not what he should do with his SSDI.

This makes a lot of sense! So basically the focus should be on when the higher-earning spouse files, not on what the SSDI recipient does. I've been thinking about this all wrong!

Exactly! The SSDI recipient has fewer decisions to make since the conversion happens automatically at FRA. The higher earner's filing strategy is what really drives household maximization in this scenario.

This is really helpful in shifting my perspective. I need to focus more on MY filing strategy rather than worrying about his SSDI. I was getting so confused trying to apply the

i thought disability benefits were higher than regular social security? my cousin gets SSDI and gets way more than my dad who worked all his life. wouldn't your husband lose money if he switches to regular ss?

SSDI and retirement benefits are actually calculated using the same formula (Primary Insurance Amount or PIA). The difference is that SSDI pays your full PIA regardless of what age you become disabled, while retirement benefits are reduced if you take them before your Full Retirement Age. Your cousin's SSDI might be higher than your dad's retirement for several reasons: your dad might have taken early retirement (reducing his benefit), your cousin might have had higher lifetime earnings, or your cousin might be receiving additional benefits like workers' compensation or dependent benefits along with SSDI.The automatic conversion from SSDI to retirement at FRA doesn't reduce the benefit amount - it stays the same.

oh that makes sense, thx for explaining! my dad did take retirement at 62 so maybe that's why his is lower

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! Based on your advice, it sounds like I should:1. Let my husband's SSDI continue unchanged until his FRA when it automatically converts to retirement benefits at the same amount2. Focus instead on MY filing strategy as the higher earner - probably waiting until my FRA or even age 70 if I can3. Once I file for my benefits, then check if my husband might qualify for additional spousal benefits if 50% of my PIA is higher than his current benefitThis really clarifies things. I was getting confused by all the standard advice about

You've got it exactly right! Your plan is spot on. The one other thing I would suggest is to create a my Social Security account online if you haven't already. This will let you see your estimated benefit amounts at different ages and help with your planning. Your husband should also check his account to see what his converted retirement benefit will be at his FRA.

Yes, I do have my SSA account set up and have been looking at the estimates. My husband also has one, though it doesn't specifically show what his converted amount will be - it just shows his current SSDI payment. I assume that'll be the same at FRA based on what everyone has said here. Thank you again for all your help!