Turned 65 on SSDI - am I automatically switched to regular Social Security now?

happy birthday! youre still technically on SSDI but nothing really changes except what they call it internally. my husband went thru this last yr

When you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), SSA will automatically convert your SSDI benefits to retirement benefits. At age 65, you haven't reached FRA yet - for people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67. So you'll remain on SSDI until you reach your FRA, at which point the conversion happens automatically with no action required from you. The benefit amount typically stays the same when this conversion occurs. The main difference is just administrative - what the benefit is called and which trust fund it's paid from. Your Medicare coverage continues unchanged.

I went through this last year and was SUPER confused too!! Called SSA like 5 times and got different answers every single time!!! One rep told me I needed to apply for retirement benefits (WRONG) and another said my payment would increase (also WRONG). It was soooo frustrating trying to get accurate information!!!

Congrats on hitting 65! I remember when my disability switched over. Nothing changed for me at all - same deposit amount, same day, everything. I think they just move your file from one drawer to another drawer lol. Don't stress about it.

If you need to confirm your status or have any questions about your benefits, good luck getting through to SSA right now. I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone last month about a similar question. Their phone lines are constantly busy and then they disconnect you after waiting forever. I finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Saved me so much frustration when I needed to confirm my benefit status after turning FRA. The agent was able to explain everything about my conversion from disability to retirement benefits.

To answer your original question more directly - at age 65, you're still on SSDI. The automatic conversion to retirement benefits happens when you reach your Full Retirement Age, which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. You don't need to do anything - it's all automatic. The payment amount stays the same, and your Medicare continues unchanged.

Something nobody mentioned - once you reach Full Retirement Age and convert from SSDI to retirement, you can work as much as you want without any reduction in benefits! That's the main practical difference.

Does anyone know if the MEDICARE part changes??? I have Medicare because of my disability and I'm worried that might change when I hit my retirement age next year???

Key points about SSDI to retirement transition: 1. Conversion happens automatically at your Full Retirement Age (67 for those born 1960 or later) 2. Benefit amount remains identical - no recalculation occurs 3. Medicare coverage continues unchanged 4. Work restrictions are removed - you can earn unlimited income without benefit reduction 5. Medical continuing disability reviews are no longer conducted 6. The only real change is administrative - which trust fund pays your benefits No action is required on your part for this transition.

I went through this exact same transition 3 years ago when I turned 65! Like everyone else said, nothing changes at 65 - you stay on SSDI until you reach Full Retirement Age at 67. The whole process is completely automatic, so don't worry about missing any deadlines or paperwork. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is that you can actually create a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov to track your benefits and see exactly when your conversion will happen. It shows your estimated Full Retirement Age and benefit amounts. Really helpful for planning ahead! Also, if you're thinking about working part-time in the future, just remember that while you're still on SSDI there are earnings limits (around $1,470/month in 2024), but once you convert to retirement at 67, you can earn as much as you want without any penalty. Hope this helps ease your mind!

I'm in a similar situation - turned 64 last month and have been on SSDI since 2019 after a back injury ended my construction career. Reading through all these responses has been really helpful! I had no idea that Full Retirement Age was 67 now, not 65. I was actually planning to call SSA next year thinking I'd need to switch over, but now I know it's all automatic. The part about being able to work without restrictions once you hit FRA is especially interesting to me. I've been doing some very light handyman work here and there but always worried about going over the earnings limit. It'll be nice to have that flexibility in a couple years. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so helpful for navigating all these confusing SSA rules!

I'm 66 and went through this transition last year when I hit my FRA. Can confirm everything everyone is saying - it's completely automatic and seamless! I was on SSDI for 4 years after a workplace accident and was so worried something would go wrong with the switch, but literally nothing changed except I got a letter from SSA explaining the conversion had happened. One small thing I noticed is that my benefit statements now say "retirement" instead of "disability" but the dollar amount is identical to the penny. And yes, the freedom to work without earnings restrictions has been amazing - I've been able to do some consulting work in my old field without constantly calculating if I'm going over the limit. For anyone still waiting for their conversion, don't stress about it. The system really does work automatically on this one!

Just want to add my experience as someone who also had a stroke and ended up on SSDI - the transition really is as smooth as everyone describes! I was terrified something would get messed up since dealing with SSA can be so complicated, but when I hit my FRA at 67 last year, it was completely seamless. One thing that might help ease your mind is that you can call SSA (when you can get through!) and ask them to confirm your exact Full Retirement Age date. They can tell you down to the month when your benefits will automatically convert. I did this about 6 months before my FRA just to be 100% sure of the timing. Also, totally relate to the confusion about what age things happen - I think a lot of us still think 65 is "retirement age" but that hasn't been true for a while now. The Medicare at 65 but Social Security FRA at 67 thing definitely adds to the confusion! Glad you found this community to get clear answers.

I'm currently 63 and have been on SSDI since 2020 after a heart attack forced me into early retirement from my job as a school bus driver. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening - I had no clue that Full Retirement Age was 67 now! Like many others here, I was under the impression that everything switched over at 65. It's such a relief to know the transition is completely automatic and that the benefit amount stays exactly the same. I was actually starting to worry about whether I'd need to file paperwork or if my payments might change when I turn 65 in a couple years. The information about being able to work without earnings restrictions after FRA is particularly interesting - I've been doing some very part-time substitute driving but always stress about staying under the limit. This thread has answered questions I didn't even know I had! Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to navigate the SSA website alone.

As someone who's been navigating SSDI for a few years now, I just wanted to say how helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm 62 and still have a few years before I need to think about this transition, but reading everyone's real experiences has been so much more valuable than trying to decode the official SSA materials. It's really reassuring to see so many people confirm that the process is truly automatic and seamless. I think those of us on disability benefits often live with this underlying anxiety that something could go wrong with our payments, so hearing multiple people say "it just worked perfectly" is incredibly comforting. The clarification about Full Retirement Age being 67 (not 65) is huge - I definitely would have been confused when I turn 65 and nothing changes! And knowing that we can work without earnings restrictions after FRA gives me hope for potentially doing some light work in my field again someday. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences. This is exactly the kind of peer support that makes such a difference when dealing with these complex systems!