Will my Social Security retirement benefit be higher than my SSDI after working part-time for 12 years?

They just switch you over automatically. Same amount.

This is actually a great question that many people don't think about. When you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), the SSA will automatically convert your SSDI benefits to retirement benefits, typically at the same amount. However, there's a possibility your benefit could increase if your part-time work during those 12 years created higher earnings than were used in your original disability benefit calculation. You should contact SSA directly about 3 months before you turn 67 to request a recalculation based on your additional work years. They'll need to determine if these additional earnings would increase your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Sometimes these additional earnings can replace lower-earning years in your calculation and result in a higher monthly benefit.

I went through exactly this situation last year. I had been on disability for 8 years but worked part-time for 6 of those years before hitting my FRA. I called SSA to specifically request a recalculation including my newer earnings and got an increase of $76 per month. Not huge but definitely worth the phone call! The key is being proactive - they don't automatically recalculate this for you in most cases. You need to specifically request it. And do this BEFORE you hit FRA, as it's easier to handle during the transition.

congrats on making it to retirement age! my sister was on disability and just switched to retirement last year. she said the amount stayed exactly the same, they just changed what they called it on the paperwork lol

I tried calling SSA about something similar last month and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get through! Waited on hold for 2 hours then got disconnected TWICE!!! Has anyone found a better way to actually talk to someone there???

When i hit retirement age they just switched me from disability to retirement and my payment stayed EXACTLY the same. I dont think anyone ever gets an increase, thats just wishful thinking. The govt isnt going to give us more money lol

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm going to call SSA at least 3 months before my birthday to specifically request them to recalculate my benefit with my additional work years. Sounds like it could potentially increase my monthly amount, even if just a little bit. Every dollar helps at this point!

One more important tip - when you call SSA, ask them to look at your new "computation years" and how your additional earnings affect your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). Those are the technical terms they use internally. Also have ready a list of the years you worked while on SSDI and approximately how much you earned each year. This will help them pull up the right information more quickly. And keep in mind that if your original disability began before you had 35 years of earnings, these additional work years might be particularly valuable in increasing your benefit.