Q & A
Ask Rusty – When Will My Disability Become My Regular Social Security?
Dear Rusty: I hope you can answer this question. I’m currently receiving Social Security Disability benefits, and I will be turning 65 in February 2026. I’m confused as to how Social Security Disability transitions to regular Social Security, and when. I assume it’s age 65 but maybe it’s my retirement date? Also, does the amount remain the same or will it change? I’m not working. I’ve been on SSDI for about 15 years. Thank you. Signed: Disabled Senior
Dear Disabled Senior: If you are collecting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, those SSDI benefits will automatically convert to become your regular Social Security retirement benefit when you reach your SS full retirement age (FRA) which, in your case, is age 67. For information, FRA today is somewhere between age 66 and 67, depending on your year of birth, and the full retirement age for everyone born in 1960 or later is age 67.
The change from SSDI to your regular Social Security benefit will be transparent to you because your monthly benefit amount will remain the same. SSDI benefits were originally awarded to you based upon your full retirement age entitlement when you applied for SSDI (even though you hadn’t yet reached your FRA when you went on SSDI). Thus, the monthly benefit amount will not change because it is based on your lifetime earnings record, from before you became disabled.
FYI, although age 65 was once Social Security’s “retirement age,” full retirement age for Social Security today is based on the year you were born. So, your SSDI benefit will automatically switch to become your regular Social Security retirement benefit as soon as you reach age 67. Essentially, the only thing that will change is the Social Security Trust Fund from which your benefits will be paid.
This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
hi, once ssdi converts at my fra to regular social security…does it become taxable or count towards income? right now i dont pay any taxes on my ssdi as it is so little and my only source of income. thanks
Mason:
Upon having one’s SSDI convert over to regular retirement benefits FRA, the amount truly doesn’t change. The only change that happens is where the funds to pay your monthly benefits come from. You go from the Disability Trust Funds to the Retirement and Survivor Trust Funds for payment purposes. As for taxes, your Social Security tax implication will remain the same. Any type of benefit coming from the Trust Funds can become taxable and it all depends on what your Modified Adjusted Gross Income or MAGI ends up being for the year. We are far from being tax experts and I would recommend that if you have additional tax questions that it should be addressed with a CPA or other tax advisor/attorney.
This is how SSA addresses the taxation issue as this is taken directly from one of their publications titled “Understanding the Benefits”:
Some people who get Social Security will have to pay income tax on a portion of their benefits. You may have to pay taxes on up to 85% of your benefits if you file a federal tax return as an “individual” and your total income is more than $25,000. If you file a joint return, you may have to pay taxes if you and your spouse have a total income that is more than $32,000. In 2024, an estimated 50% of Social Security beneficiaries had income that exceeded the limits.
I hope this answers your questions and provides some valuable guidance. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again by email or call our office at 1-888-750-2622 during our business hours of Monday-Friday, 9 AM- 5 PM.
Ken Baron, Social Security Advisor
AMAC Foundation, Inc.
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