Can SSI Force Me to Apply for Early Retirement at Age 62?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates a retirement benefit program and two distinct disability benefit programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Both programs offer cash benefits to adults with disabilities, but SSDI and SSI differ significantly in benefit amounts and eligibility. Social Security disability provides amounts similar to retirement benefits to those who've worked and paid into the system long enough and recently enough. Supplemental Security Income offers cash assistance to people with very low incomes and limited resources. Unlike SSDI benefits and retirement benefits, SSI has no work requirement.

Here's what happens to your Social Security when you're on disability and turn 62.

What Happens to My SSI When I Turn 62?

Having any type of additional income affects Supplemental Security Income benefits. Any income you receive, including Social Security retirement benefits, can reduce your SSI benefit amount and make you ineligible for benefits if you exceed the income limit. In 2025, if you receive $987 or more in retirement benefits, your SSI benefit will stop.

Who's Eligible for Social Security Retirement Benefits?

Anyone who's earned enough work credits, or has a spouse with enough credits, is eligible for Social Security retirement benefits.

You can qualify for Social Security retirement benefits even if you didn't qualify for SSDI. If you worked a number of years but you stopped working five or more years before you became disabled, you wouldn't be eligible for SSI because your date last insured would have expired before you applied for SSDI. In that case, you can collect only SSI disability benefits until you turn 62, at which point you might become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits.

Can Social Security Force You to Take Early Retirement?

Yes, when you receive SSI, Social Security requires you to apply for any other available cash benefits, because the program is intended as a benefit of last resort. (20 C.F.R. § 416.210.) So if you're receiving SSI when you turn 62, Social Security will require you to apply for early retirement, even though you'll have a smaller retirement benefit than if you waited until full retirement age (FRA). The SSA will send you a notice around the time you turn 62, telling you about any other benefits the agency thinks you're eligible for. If you don't apply for the benefit(s) within 30 days, your SSI will stop.

In addition to your own retirement benefits, you also have to apply for any other Social Security benefits you may be eligible for at age 62, including spousal benefits, divorced spouse benefits, or widow's benefits. And if you qualify for veterans' disability compensation or pension, workers' comp payments, or unemployment benefits at any age, you have to file an application for those benefits as well.

How Does Getting Social Security Retirement at 62 Affect Your Benefit?

Claiming your Social Security retirement benefit at age 62 will permanently reduce the retirement amount you receive. This might not matter much if you stay on SSI, because you'll continue to receive the same combined SSI/retirement amount (more on this below).

Once you reach 65, you can continue to receive SSI as an older person with limited income, whether or not you still qualify as disabled. But if you apply for early retirement and, at some point, no longer qualify for SSI (for instance, if you exceed the SSI asset limit), you'll be stuck with just the reduced Social Security retirement payment.

Will My SSI Payment Change When I Turn Age 62?

The good news is that you can receive both SSI disability benefits and Social Security retirement at the same time. Turning 62 doesn't necessarily stop your SSI, but your monthly benefit will be reduced if you're eligible for Social Security retirement benefits.

Social Security will reduce your SSI by the amount of your retirement benefit, but your total monthly benefit amount will stay about the same. You'll just receive a combination of the two benefits.

What Happens to My SSDI Benefits When I Turn 62?

You can collect Social Security disability insurance benefits until you reach full retirement age, when SSDI automatically converts to Social Security retirement benefits. You don't need to contact the SSA to convert your SSDI to retirement benefits.

At what age does SSDI convert to regular Social Security? It depends on your birth year. Here's a chart with what counts as FRA for each year of birth.

Unearned income doesn't affect your SSDI, so you can collect it even if you're also receiving income like long-term disability or a company pension.

What About People Receiving Both SSDI and SSI When They Turn 62?

If you're receiving disability benefits through both the Supplemental Security Income program and the SSDI program, you're a "dual beneficiary," and turning 62 won't affect your benefits. You'll continue receiving SSDI until full retirement age, when it automatically converts to Social Security retirement benefits. (SSDI and retirement benefits are roughly the same amount.)

Social Security doesn't require SSDI recipients who also get SSI to apply for early retirement at 62, for two reasons:

• The SSA has already reduced their SSI benefit to account for the SSDI amount.
• Receiving early retirement benefits wouldn't increase their overall benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions About Collecting SSI at 62

Below, you can find answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about what happens to your disability benefits when you turn 62.

What If I Apply for SSI at Age 62?

Whenever you apply for Supplemental Security Income, no matter how old you are, Social Security considers your application to be an application for Social Security benefits as well. So if you apply for SSI at age 62, the SSA will check to see if you're eligible for SSDI or retirement benefits.

If you're eligible for either SSDI or retirement benefits, Social Security will pay you those benefits first. If you're still eligible for SSI (because your Social Security payments are low), then the agency will approve SSI benefits as well, up to the maximum SSI amount.

What If I Stop My SSI to Delay Collecting Retirement Benefits?

If you stop receiving Supplemental Security Income, you won't have to apply for retirement benefits and you can delay claiming Social Security until full retirement age. This allows you to protect your higher retirement benefit amount because you won't be subject to the penalty for early retirement. But you'll lose SSI income in the meantime, and you could lose Medicaid coverage if your income is too high. On the plus side, you'll no longer be subject to SSI's income and asset limits, and you'll be eligible for Medicare when you turn 65.

How Do I Get Medicare If I'm Not on SSI?

If you're not getting Supplemental Security Income or Social Security retirement benefits when you're 64, you'll have to sign up for Medicare during your initial Medicare enrollment period (during the three months before you turn 65 to the three months after).

If you're receiving SSI and then start getting early Social Security retirement benefits at 62, you'll automatically be enrolled in Medicare when you turn 65.

Can I Get SSDI If I Already Claimed Early Retirement?

You can't receive retirement benefits from Social Security and SSDI at the same time. But some people who took early retirement benefits can switch to SSDI if they qualify (they need to have worked at least 5 of the last 10 years). It can make sense to try to switch from early retirement benefits to disability benefits if you haven't reached full retirement age, because the SSA won't lower your retirement benefit for the years you receive SSDI before full retirement age. Read our article on when you can switch from early retirement benefits to SSDI.