Folks who are receiving Social Security Disability benefits are often concerned about what will happen to their benefits once they turn 65. While the benefit itself will change when you reach your “full retirement age”, the amount of the benefit will not. The benefits are simply converted. Instead of receiving monies from the Social Security Disability fund, you will begin receiving monies from the retirement program. The conversion happens automatically. There is nothing that you need to do.
With that said, age 65 is not considered full retirement age for everyone. The year you were born dictates the year and month you must each in age to have attained full retirement age in the eyes of the SSA.
Here is a list of birth years and corresponding full retirement ages.
- 1937: 65 years
- 1938: 65 years and 2 months
- 1939: 65 years and 4 months
- 1940: 65 years and 6 months
- 1941: 65 years and 8 months
- 1942: 65 years and 10 months
- 1943 through 1954: 66 years
- 1955: 66 years and 2 months
- 1956: 66 years and 4 months
- 1957: 66 years and 6 months
- 1958: 66 years and 8 months
- 1959: 66 years and 10 months
- 1960 and later: 67 years
As you can see, unless you were born before 1937, your full retirement age is actually a bit higher than age 65. So, in a nutshell, the benefit checks or direct deposits will come from a different fund, but the amounts will not change. Your disability benefit is the same as the full retirement benefit, based on your earnings.
If you or a loved one has questions about Social Security Disability or Retirement benefits, please feel free to give us a call at 707-580-9220. If we can answer your question over the phone, we are happy to do it. If you need more help, we are available to meet folks in Vacaville, Fairfield, Vallejo and all surrounding areas.