Will my SSDI payment change when I reach my Full Retirement Age (FRA) at 67?

Your payment amount will stay exactly the same when you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA). What happens is that your SSDI benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits, but the dollar amount doesn't change. This is because SSDI benefits are already calculated as if you had reached your full retirement age. The only real difference is administrative - your benefits will come from the retirement trust fund instead of the disability trust fund. You won't need to do anything, and you shouldn't notice any difference except maybe in some paperwork you might receive.

NOBODY TELLS YOU THIS STUFF! I went through the exact same confusion when I hit my FRA last year after being on disability for 12 years. The SSA never sent me ANY notification about the change from SSDI to retirement. My payment stayed the same but suddenly my Medicare premium went up because of some income-related adjustment from 2 YEARS before!! The system is designed to confuse us!!!

I had this same question a while back! I was so nervous about it that I spent 3 days trying to reach someone at Social Security. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent confirmed what others are saying - your benefit amount stays the same, just switches from disability to retirement benefits automatically. Huge relief!

Actually, there IS one important difference when you convert from SSDI to retirement at FRA that nobody has mentioned. Once you're on retirement benefits, the earnings limit no longer applies. So if you wanted to work part-time, you could earn any amount without affecting your Social Security benefit. Under SSDI, there are strict limits on how much you can earn (substantial gainful activity).

my sister is going through this right now she is 67 and was on disability for like 20 years. the amount stayed the same but she got some letter about it switching from disability to regular ss. they didnt explain it very well tho but its automatic you dont have to apply again or anything

i always thought disability paid more than regular retirement benefits is that true? will i lose money when i turn 67 next year?

Thank you all for the helpful responses! It sounds like I don't need to worry about any changes to my payment amount, which is a huge relief. And it's great to know about the earnings limits being removed - that actually opens up some possibilities I hadn't considered before. This forum has been way more helpful than the hours I spent searching the SSA website!

I'm also on SSDI and turning 67 next year, so this conversation has been incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add - when I called SSA about this last month, they mentioned that while the payment amount stays the same, you might want to double-check that your direct deposit and tax withholding preferences carry over correctly. The agent said most of the time it's seamless, but occasionally there can be minor administrative hiccups during the transition from the disability to retirement system. She recommended checking your account online or calling if you notice anything unusual in the months around your FRA birthday. Better safe than sorry!

I went through this transition last year and wanted to share my experience! Everything everyone has said is correct - the payment amount stays exactly the same. What I found helpful was logging into my SSA account online about a month before my 67th birthday to screenshot my benefit amount and payment details. That way when the automatic conversion happened, I could easily compare and confirm nothing changed. The only difference I noticed was that my annual Social Security Statement started showing "retirement benefits" instead of "disability benefits" but the dollar amount was identical. Also, if you're married, this might be a good time to review spousal benefit options with SSA since the rules can be different once you're on retirement benefits.

I'm 65 and on SSDI, so this discussion is really timely for me! One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is what happens if you have other income sources like a small pension or investment income. Does the automatic conversion from SSDI to retirement benefits affect how those other income sources are taxed together with your Social Security? I know there are different tax rules for disability vs retirement benefits, but I'm not sure if that changes anything practically when your benefit amount stays the same. Has anyone dealt with this situation?

I'm 62 and just started receiving SSDI benefits a few months ago, so I have about 5 years before I reach my FRA. This whole thread has been incredibly reassuring! I was already stressing about what would happen when I turn 67, thinking I might have to reapply or deal with a bunch of paperwork. It's such a relief to know the transition is automatic and the payment stays the same. The point about being able to work without earnings restrictions after FRA is really encouraging too - I've been worried that I'd never be able to do any kind of work again, but knowing that option opens up at 67 gives me some hope for the future. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge!

I'm 64 and have been on SSDI for about 8 years, so this conversation is incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add that might be useful - when I contacted my local SSA office last year to ask about this exact transition, they mentioned that while everything happens automatically, it's still a good idea to update your contact information and review your beneficiary information in your my Social Security account before you reach FRA. They said sometimes people forget they have outdated addresses or phone numbers on file, and if there are any rare issues with the automatic conversion, SSA needs to be able to reach you easily. It's probably overkill, but I figure it can't hurt to make sure everything is current in their system before the switch happens in a couple years!