Will scholarships affect my SSDI benefits when returning to school at age 62?

congrats on going back to school! thats awesome especially at 62! my cousin got scholarships while on ssdi and it was fine, didnt affect anything. scholarships arent earned income so your good

Scholarships generally do not count as income for SSDI purposes. SSDI is primarily concerned with earned income from work activity, not educational assistance. The Social Security Administration considers scholarships as financial assistance for educational purposes, not as wages or earnings. However, if you're receiving SSI (Supplemental Security Income) in addition to SSDI, the rules would be different. For SSI, scholarships used for educational expenses like tuition, books, and supplies are excluded, but any portion used for food or housing could count as income. Make sure to keep documentation of all scholarship awards and how the funds were used. While you don't typically need to report scholarships for SSDI, maintaining clear records is always wise.

I DID THE SAME THING at 59!!! Went back for my bachelor's after 30 years away from school. The scholarships DO NOT affect your SSDI at all - I had about $8,500 in scholarships for my program. BUT what WILL affect your benefits is if you work while in school!!! Stay under the earned income limits or you'll regret it. I made that mistake one semester working as a teaching assistant and it caused me SO MANY HEADACHES with Social Security. They temporarily suspended my benefits and it took 3 months to get everything straightened out!!! Be careful!!

My brother tried going back to school on disability and SSA was a total nightmare about it. They kept asking him for all kinds of paperwork and threatening to review his case. He ended up dropping out because of the stress. The whole system is designed to keep disabled people trapped and dependent.

I appreciate everyone's responses! Just to clarify - I'm not planning to work while in school (at least not initially). The program I'm looking at is mostly online with some weekend classes, which works well with my disability limitations. My main concern was whether accepting $12,000 in scholarship money would somehow count as income or resources for SSDI purposes. Sounds like I should be OK, but should keep good records of how the money is spent on educational expenses.

everybody's talking about the money but what about your disability? I'm curious what program ur doing cause when I tried going back to school with my disability it was too much. the stress made my condition worse and I had to drop out after 1 semester. just something to think about

One additional point that hasn't been mentioned: if you're approaching Full Retirement Age (which at 62 you are), remember that SSDI will automatically convert to retirement benefits when you reach your FRA. This conversion doesn't change much practically, but it does mean that work limits will follow the retirement rules rather than SSDI rules. So if your program will extend beyond your FRA, be aware that different earnings rules will apply at that point. Educational scholarships remain exempt regardless of which benefit type you're receiving.

i just wanna say ur inspiring me! im 58 and on disability and always wanted to finish my degree. maybe its not too late for me either

This thread has been so helpful! I'm 64 and have been on SSDI for 8 years following a stroke. I've been hesitant to pursue any educational goals because I was afraid it might jeopardize my benefits or trigger unwanted reviews. Reading everyone's experiences, especially the distinction between scholarships (which don't count as income) versus work-study earnings (which do), gives me confidence to explore some online courses I've been interested in. My occupational therapist has actually been encouraging me to engage in mentally stimulating activities as part of my recovery. Ava, best of luck with your program - you're showing all of us that it's never too late to learn!