Yes, you can collect both SSDI and Social Security retirement benefits, but the amount you receive from one affects the other

If you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and you reach full retirement age, you do not stop receiving benefits. Instead, your SSDI payment converts to a retirement benefit at the same rate. You cannot collect two separate checks — the Social Security Administration treats them as the same benefit stream, just under a different name once you hit retirement age.

The situation is different if you are trying to collect SSDI based on your own work record while also collecting benefits as a spouse or ex-spouse. In that case, you can receive both, but the total cannot exceed a limit called the family maximum. This is a percentage of your primary insurance amount — usually 150 to 180 percent — and it applies to all family members drawing on your record combined.

The third scenario involves collecting SSDI and then earning work income. If you work while on SSDI, you face earnings limits that can reduce or suspend your benefits. This is separate from the retirement benefit conversion and applies only during your working years.

Key Takeaways

  • When you reach full retirement age on SSDI, your benefit converts to retirement benefits at the same payment amount — you do not collect two checks.
  • If you collect SSDI on your own record and also receive spousal or ex-spousal benefits, the family maximum limits the total your household can receive.
  • Earning work income while on SSDI can reduce your monthly payment if you exceed the annual earnings limit, which changes each year.
  • The earnings limit for SSDI is higher than for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the two programs have different rules about what counts as income.

How SSDI converts when you reach full retirement age

Your full retirement age depends on your birth year. For people born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67. If you were born between 1943 and 1954, it is 66. The Social Security Administration has a table on its website showing the exact age for your birth year.

On the month you reach full retirement age, the Social Security Administration automatically converts your SSDI to a retirement benefit. The payment amount stays the same. You will see a letter in the mail explaining the change, but your direct deposit or check continues without interruption. This is not a new process or a new benefit — it is a reclassification of the same benefit you have been receiving.

After the conversion, you can work without any earnings limit. This is a major difference from SSDI. Once you are on retirement benefits, you can earn as much as you want without affecting your payment. This is why many people on SSDI look forward to reaching full retirement age.

The family maximum and collecting multiple benefits on one record

The family maximum applies when more than one person is drawing benefits on the same Social Security record. This happens most often when a worker is receiving SSDI and their spouse or ex-spouse is also receiving benefits based on that same record.

The family maximum is usually 150 to 180 percent of the primary insurance amount — the amount the worker receives. If your SSDI payment is $1,200 per month, for example, the family maximum might be $1,800 to $2,160 per month total. If your spouse's spousal benefit would be $600, but adding it to your $1,200 would exceed the family maximum, the Social Security Administration reduces the spousal benefit to stay within the limit.

The reduction happens to the spouse's benefit, not yours. Your SSDI payment does not change. The Social Security Administration calculates the family maximum when you first file and recalculates it if your benefit amount changes due to a cost-of-living adjustment.

Earnings limits and work incentives while on SSDI

If you work while receiving SSDI, you must report your earnings to Social Security. The program has an annual earnings limit — the amount you can earn before your benefits are reduced. This limit changes each year. For 2024, the limit is $23,409 per year, but you should check the Social Security Administration website for the current year's amount.

If you earn more than the limit, Social Security reduces your benefit by $1 for every $2 you earn above the threshold. This reduction applies only during the year you exceed the limit. Once you stop working or drop below the limit, your full benefit resumes the following month.

SSDI includes work incentives designed to help you test your ability to work without when ready losing all benefits. The most common is the Trial Work Period, which allows you to work and earn any amount for nine months without affecting your benefits. After the trial work period ends, the earnings limit applies. There is also an Extended may be able to access Period that gives you nine more months of reduced benefits as your earnings increase, followed by a Medicaid continuation period.

How SSDI and SSI interact if you receive both

Some people receive both SSDI and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This happens when your SSDI payment is very low — below the SSI federal benefit rate, which is $943 per month in 2024. SSI tops up your SSDI to reach the SSI level.

If you are in this situation, the earnings rules are stricter. SSI counts more types of income, and the earnings limit is lower. You must report all work income to both programs. The Social Security Administration will reduce your SSI payment based on SSI's earnings rules, which may be more restrictive than SSDI's rules.

When you reach full retirement age and your SSDI converts to retirement benefits, you may no longer be may be able to access for SSI. This depends on your state and your total income. Some states provide additional SSI payments to people receiving retirement benefits, but most do not. The Social Security Administration will notify you if your SSI ends.

Collecting benefits as a worker and as a family member

You can receive SSDI based on your own work record and also receive benefits as a spouse or ex-spouse on someone else's record. This is called deemed filing, and it applies if you were born on January 2, 1954, or later. The Social Security Administration will pay you the higher of the two benefits, not both.

If your own SSDI is $1,400 per month and your spousal benefit would be $800, you receive $1,400 — not $2,200. The Social Security Administration pays the higher amount and does not add them together. This rule prevents people from collecting multiple benefits on the same household record.

If you were born before January 2, 1954, different rules may explore, and you might be able to receive both benefits. You should contact the Social Security Administration directly to learn how deemed filing affects your specific situation.

What happens to your benefits if you remarry or divorce

If you are receiving spousal or ex-spousal benefits along with your own SSDI, a change in marital status affects your benefits. If you remarry, your spousal benefit based on your ex-spouse's record ends. You will continue to receive your own SSDI, but the spousal portion stops.

If you are receiving benefits as a spouse and you divorce, your spousal benefit ends unless the marriage lasted at least 10 years. If it did last 10 years or longer, you can continue to receive ex-spousal benefits even after the divorce, as long as you do not remarry.

You should notify the Social Security Administration of any change in marital status within 30 days. The agency will recalculate your benefits and adjust your payment accordingly. If you do not report the change, you may be overpaid and asked to repay the extra benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my SSDI when I turn 65?

No. At your full retirement age (which may be 65, 66, or 67 depending on your birth year), your SSDI converts to a retirement benefit at the same payment amount. You do not lose the benefit or have to reapply. The conversion is automatic.

Can I collect SSDI and work full-time?

You can work full-time while on SSDI, but if you earn more than the annual limit, your benefits will be reduced. For 2024, the limit is $23,409 per year. The Trial Work Period allows you to work and earn any amount for nine months without losing benefits, giving you time to test your work capacity.

What is the family maximum and how does it affect me?

The family maximum is a limit on the total amount all family members can receive based on one person's Social Security record, usually 150 to 180 percent of the primary worker's benefit. If you receive SSDI and your spouse also receives benefits on your record, the combined total cannot exceed this limit. Your payment stays the same; the spouse's benefit is reduced if needed.

If I get SSDI, can I also collect my ex-spouse's benefits?

Yes, but you receive only the higher of the two amounts, not both. The Social Security Administration pays your own SSDI or your ex-spousal benefit — whichever is larger. This rule applies if you were born on January 2, 1954, or later. If you were born earlier, different rules may explore.

What happens to my benefits if I remarry while on SSDI?

Your own SSDI continues unchanged. However, if you were also receiving spousal or ex-spousal benefits based on someone else's record, those benefits end when you remarry. You will continue to receive only your own SSDI payment.