Yes, you can collect both SSDI and Social Security retirement benefits, but the rules about how much you receive are strict and vary depending on your situation.

The Social Security Administration treats SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) and retirement benefits as two separate programs, but they are built on the same earnings record. If you are receiving SSDI and reach full retirement age, your disability benefit automatically converts to a retirement benefit at the same rate. You do not collect both simultaneously — the system switches one to the other.

However, if you have a spouse or ex-spouse, the picture changes. You may be able to collect your own SSDI while your spouse or ex-spouse collects a benefit based on your earnings record. Family members can also collect on your record while you are receiving disability. The key constraint is the family maximum: the total amount paid to you and all family members combined cannot exceed 150 to 180 percent of your primary insurance amount (the base amount you receive).

Key Takeaways

  • When you reach full retirement age on SSDI, your disability benefit converts to a retirement benefit at the same payment amount — you do not receive both.
  • Your spouse, ex-spouse, or children may collect benefits based on your earnings record while you receive SSDI, but the family maximum limits the total paid to all of you combined.
  • If you earned enough work credits to may have access to for both SSDI and retirement benefits on your own record, you receive only one benefit based on which is higher.
  • Remarriage, divorce, and changes in family composition can affect who can collect on your record and how much each person receives.

How the family maximum works when you are on SSDI

The family maximum is a hard ceiling set by Social Security. If you are receiving SSDI, your spouse, ex-spouse, and children under 19 (or up to 23 if in school full-time) can each collect a percentage of your primary insurance amount. The total of all payments — yours plus theirs — cannot exceed 150 to 180 percent of your primary insurance amount.

For example, if your primary insurance amount is $1,200 per month and the family maximum is 175 percent, the total paid to your entire family is $2,100 per month. If your spouse is may have access to to $400 and your two children are each may have access to to $350, the total would be $1,200 + $400 + $350 + $350 = $2,300. Social Security would reduce each family member's payment proportionally so the total equals $2,100.

The family maximum applies only to benefits paid on your record. It does not prevent your spouse from collecting on their own earnings record, nor does it affect children's benefits from another parent.

What happens when you reach full retirement age

At your full retirement age, SSDI automatically converts to a retirement benefit. The payment amount stays the same, but the program label changes. You are no longer on the disability rolls; you are now receiving retirement benefits. This conversion happens automatically — you do not need to contact Social Security or reapply.

If you have been receiving SSDI for many years, you may have already reached full retirement age. Social Security calculates your full retirement age based on your birth year: it ranges from 66 to 67 for people born between 1943 and 1960, and is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.

After the conversion, the family maximum still applies to any family members collecting on your record. Your spouse or ex-spouse can still collect a spousal benefit, and your children can still collect child benefits, subject to the same 150 to 180 percent family maximum.

Collecting on your own record versus a spouse's record

If you have worked long enough to earn your own SSDI benefit and your spouse is also may have access to to retirement benefits on their own record, you each receive your own benefit. You do not collect both — you receive whichever is higher on your own record, and your spouse receives their own benefit. The two are independent.

The situation changes if you are may have access to to a spousal benefit on your spouse's record. If your spouse's benefit is significantly higher than your own, you may be may have access to to a spousal benefit that brings your total to a percentage of their primary insurance amount. However, this applies only if you were born before January 2, 1954. If you were born on or after that date, you can collect only your own benefit, not a spousal add-on.

If you are receiving SSDI on your own record and your spouse is receiving retirement benefits on their own record, the family maximum does not apply to your spouse's benefit. It applies only to family members collecting on your record.

How remarriage and divorce affect your benefits

If you remarry while receiving SSDI, your new spouse cannot collect a spousal benefit on your record unless the marriage lasts at least two years. If you divorce, your ex-spouse can collect on your record if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, you are at least 62 years old (or your ex-spouse is at least 62), and you have been divorced for at least two years — or one year if your ex-spouse is already receiving benefits.

If you remarry and your new spouse collects a spousal benefit on your record, that benefit counts toward the family maximum. If you have children from a previous relationship also collecting on your record, all of those benefits — yours, your new spouse's, and your children's — are subject to the same family maximum limit.

If you divorce, your ex-spouse's benefit does not reduce your own benefit, but it does count toward the family maximum if your children are also collecting on your record. Social Security will reduce all family members' payments proportionally if the total exceeds the maximum.

Earnings from work while on SSDI

If you work while receiving SSDI, you may face a reduction in benefits through the substantial gainful activity (SGA) test. In 2024, SGA is generally defined as earning more than $1,550 per month (or $2,590 if you are blind). If you exceed this amount, Social Security may determine that you are no longer disabled and stop your benefits.

However, Social Security offers work incentives that allow you to test your ability to work without immediately losing benefits. The trial work period lets you work and earn any amount for nine months without affecting your SSDI payment. After the trial work period, there is a 36-month extended may be able to access period during which your benefits continue if your earnings fall below SGA, even if you had months where you earned above SGA.

If you are collecting a family member benefit on your record while you work, their benefit is not affected by your earnings. The family maximum still applies, but your work does not trigger a reduction in their payments.

Collecting SSDI and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) at the same time

SSDI and SSI are different programs. SSDI is based on your work history; SSI is a needs-based program for people with low income and resources. You can receive both if you meet the requirements for each, but they are administered separately and have different rules.

If you receive SSDI, your SSDI payment counts as income when Social Security calculates your SSI benefit. Depending on how much you receive in SSDI, you may not may have access to for SSI, or your SSI payment may be reduced. The SSI program has strict limits on how much income and resources you can have: in 2024, the income limit is roughly $943 per month for an individual (the exact amount changes yearly), and you can have no more than $2,000 in countable resources.

If you are receiving SSDI and think you might also be may have access to to SSI, contact your local Social Security office. They can review your situation and determine whether you meet SSI's income and resource limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I collect SSDI and retirement benefits at the same time?

No. When you reach full retirement age, your SSDI automatically converts to a retirement benefit at the same payment amount. You receive one benefit, not both. However, family members can collect benefits on your record while you receive SSDI, subject to the family maximum.

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

The family maximum is the total amount Social Security pays to you and all family members collecting on your record combined. It is typically 150 to 180 percent of your primary insurance amount. If the total benefits owed to your family exceed this amount, Social Security reduces each person's payment proportionally.

Can my spouse collect benefits while I am on SSDI?

Yes, if your spouse is at least 62 years old (or any age if caring for your child under 16). Your spouse's benefit counts toward the family maximum. If your spouse has their own work record, they may receive a higher benefit on their own record instead.

What happens to my family's benefits if I go back to work?

Your SSDI may be affected if you earn above the substantial gainful activity limit, but your family members' benefits are not automatically reduced by your work. The family maximum still applies to the total paid to all of you, but your earnings do not trigger individual reductions in their payments.

Can I collect SSDI and SSI at the same time?

Yes, but your SSDI counts as income when calculating SSI. Depending on how much you receive in SSDI, you may not may have access to for SSI, or your SSI payment may be reduced. Contact Social Security to see whether you meet SSI's income and resource limits.