You can receive both, but the rules depend on which type of disability benefit you have

If you're receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you cannot also collect Social Security retirement benefits at the same time — but you will automatically switch to retirement benefits when you reach full retirement age, and the payment amount stays the same. If you're receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is a needs-based program separate from Social Security, the rules are different: SSI has strict income and resource limits that can reduce or eliminate your payment if you have other income, including Social Security retirement benefits.

The confusion usually comes from mixing up SSDI and SSI. SSDI is an earned benefit based on your work history; SSI is a welfare program for people with low income and few resources. You might be on one, the other, or both at the same time, and each has its own rules about combining benefits.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits at your full retirement age without a gap in payments or a change in the monthly amount.
  • SSI has income limits that reduce your payment dollar-for-dollar once you earn or receive more than the monthly threshold, which varies by state.
  • If you're on both SSDI and SSI, the SSDI payment counts as income against your SSI limit, which is why many people see their SSI drop to zero when SSDI begins.
  • You cannot work and receive SSDI at the same time without triggering work incentives that may suspend or end your benefits.

How SSDI converts to retirement benefits at full retirement age

When you turn your full retirement age — which is 66, 67, or 68 depending on your birth year — your SSDI automatically becomes a Social Security retirement benefit. Social Security does not send you a notice or ask you to do anything; the switch happens in the background. Your monthly payment stays exactly the same, and there is no gap in your benefits.

This is one of the clearest rules in Social Security: SSDI and retirement benefits are the same payment stream, just triggered by different reasons. You were approved for SSDI because you could not work due to disability; at full retirement age, you're approved for retirement because you've reached the age when everyone can claim. The dollar amount does not change because Social Security calculated it the same way either way.

If you claimed SSDI before full retirement age and then return to work, Social Security has work incentives that may let you keep some or all of your benefits for a trial period. Those rules are complex and depend on how much you earn, so contact Social Security directly if you're considering work.

SSI income limits and how other benefits affect your payment

If you're on SSI, receiving other income — including Social Security retirement or SSDI — directly reduces your SSI payment. SSI has a monthly income limit; in 2024, the federal limit is $943 per month for an individual, though some states add money on top and have higher limits. Once your total income exceeds that limit, your SSI payment drops by one dollar for every dollar you earn or receive above it.

This means if you're on both SSDI and SSI, your SSDI payment counts as income. If your SSDI is $1,000 and the SSI limit is $943, your SSI payment becomes zero because you're already $57 over the limit. Many people in this situation end up on SSDI alone once the SSDI payment exceeds the SSI threshold.

SSI also has a resource limit — you can own no more than $2,000 in countable assets as an individual (or $3,000 as a couple). Your home and one car do not count, but a savings account, investments, or a second vehicle do. If you inherit money or receive a lump-sum payment, it can push you over the resource limit and suspend your SSI until you spend it down.

What happens if you work while on SSDI

Social Security allows you to test your ability to work through a program called a trial work period, which lasts nine months. During those nine months, you can earn any amount and keep your full SSDI payment. After the trial work period ends, Social Security enters a 36-month "extended may be able to access period" where you keep your benefits as long as your earnings stay below the substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit — which is $1,550 per month in 2024, though it changes yearly.

If you earn more than the SGA limit for a full month, your benefits stop for that month and any month after. You do not lose SSDI permanently; you can stop working and reapply, and Social Security will reinstate your benefits without making you go through the approval process again. But you need to understand the earnings threshold before you start working, because crossing it can mean losing your health insurance (Medicare or Medicaid, depending on your situation).

SSI has different work incentives. You can earn up to $65 per month plus half of anything above that without losing benefits, which is much lower than SSDI. Many people on SSI cannot work enough to stay above the income limit, so they stay on SSI and do not work.

Being on both SSDI and SSI at the same time

You can be approved for both SSDI and SSI simultaneously if your SSDI payment is low enough that you still fall below the SSI income limit. This usually happens when you have a short work history or low lifetime earnings, so your SSDI payment is small. Social Security calls this "concurrent benefits."

When you're on both, the SSDI payment is counted as income against your SSI limit. If your SSDI is $500 and the SSI limit is $943, you receive $443 in SSI to bring you up to the limit. If your SSDI increases — for example, because of a cost-of-living adjustment — your SSI decreases by the same amount to keep your total payment flat.

At full retirement age, your SSDI converts to retirement benefits, and the same income-counting rule applies. Your retirement payment counts against the SSI limit, so your SSI may drop to zero or stay the same, depending on the amount.

How your work history affects which benefits you can receive

SSDI requires that you have worked and paid Social Security taxes for a certain period — usually at least five of the last ten years, though the exact requirement depends on your age when you became disabled. If you do not have enough work history, you cannot receive SSDI, but you may still receive SSI if your income and resources are low enough.

SSI does not require any work history at all. It is available to anyone under 65 (or over 65 if you meet other conditions) with a disability, blindness, or age-related limitation, as long as your income and resources are below the limit. This is why SSI is sometimes called the "safety net" for people who cannot work but do not have enough work credits for SSDI.

If you're on SSI now and later gain enough work credits through part-time work or self-employment, you may become may be able to access for SSDI. When that happens, Social Security will usually switch you to SSDI because it pays more and does not have the same income limits. You would then be on SSDI alone, not both.

Medicare, Medicaid, and health coverage when you have both benefits

SSDI comes with Medicare may be able to access after you've been on SSDI for 24 months. SSI comes with Medicaid may be able to access immediately in most states. If you're on both SSDI and SSI, you have both Medicare and Medicaid, which is called "dual may be able to access."

When your SSDI converts to retirement benefits at full retirement age, you keep Medicare. If you're also on SSI, you keep Medicaid as long as you stay below the SSI income and resource limits. Losing SSI because your income is too high also means losing Medicaid in most states, so the health coverage change can be as important as the payment change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to tell Social Security if I start receiving retirement benefits from a job?

Yes. If you're on SSDI and you receive a pension or retirement payment from a job where you did not pay Social Security taxes, it may reduce your SSDI payment under a rule called the Government Pension Offset. Report any new income to Social Security within 10 days to avoid overpayments you'll have to repay later.

What if I'm on SSDI and I inherit money?

An inheritance does not affect SSDI directly because SSDI has no resource limit. However, if you're also on SSI, an inheritance can push you over the $2,000 resource limit and suspend your SSI. You would need to spend the money down to get SSI back, though some states allow a brief period to spend it without losing benefits.

Can I receive SSDI and workers' compensation at the same time?

Yes, but Social Security will reduce your SSDI payment if your workers' compensation is high enough. The reduction is designed so your total payment from both programs does not exceed what you would have earned if you were still working. Report any workers' compensation to Social Security immediately.

What happens to my benefits if I get married?

SSDI is not affected by marriage. SSI is affected because marriage can change your income and resource limits — a married couple has a higher limit than a single person, but your spouse's income counts against your limit. Report a marriage to Social Security within 30 days.