Can you switch from Social Security retirement benefits to disability?

Or, say you claim Social Security retirement benefits at 62 because you can no longer work due to failing eyesight. Your doctor had already diagnosed macular degeneration, but you only learn later that this could have qualified you for SSDI.

If you can prove your disability began before you took early retirement, Social Security will retroactively pay up to 12 months of the difference between what you’ve received so far and what you would have gotten under SSDI. (If you applied for disability within a year of starting Social Security, this could mean being restored to your full retirement benefit; after a year, there will be some reduction.)

Because disability claims take months, sometimes even years longer to process than retirement claims, some people who turn 62 with significant health issues apply for both benefits at once so they will have some Social Security income while awaiting an SSDI decision. As above, if your disability application is approved, you will get a higher benefit (though not necessarily your full retirement benefit) and a retroactive payment.

But this is a risky strategy: Disability claims have a high standard of proof and are often denied, in which case you’ll be stuck with the reduced retirement benefit for life. Consider consulting an attorney well-versed in disability law before pursuing this course.

In all these scenarios, if you switch from retirement benefits to SSDI, the disability amount you are getting when you reach full retirement age becomes your retirement benefit.

Keep in mind

Retirement benefits are based on your 35 highest-earning years, but people on disability may have had much less time in the workforce. In such cases, your SSDI benefit is determined by your inflation-adjusted average earnings from age 21 until the year your disability began.
Factors other than those noted in the simplified examples above can play into how Social Security calculates a retirement-to-disability benefit. You can call Social Security at 800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security office to discuss how switching benefits could affect you.
If you opt for an office visit, Social Security requires calling in advance and scheduling an appointment.

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Andy Markowitz is a writer and editor for AARP, covering Social Security and fraud. He is a former editor of The Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.

Tracy Thompson is a journalist and editor who has worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Washington Post. She is the author of three books and lives with her family in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.