Tom will turn 66 in Feb., and is currently receiving disability benefits from social security. We have other sources of income to cover our monthly expenses. Is it still possible to delay receiving regular social security until he is 70. Yrs old and claim the maximum benefit? If we stop the disability benefit prior to his 66th birthday, does this accomplish what we want? Does a disability benefit from social security automatically roll into regular social security when you reach 66 yrs old? Can we prevent this?

Hi,

Short of withdrawing his disability claim and repaying all of the benefits he's received to date, there is likely nothing Tom could do to prevent the conversion of his disability benefits to retirement benefits at age 66. Social Security rewrote their rules in December 2014 in order to preclude people from withdrawing the conversion to retirement benefits unless they also repaid all disability benefits they had received (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/social-securitys-christmas-pres...).

Once started, there is no way to voluntarily stop disability entitlement without withdrawing and repaying. It is possible for a person's disability entitlement to end before they reach full retirement age because of their work and earnings, or if Social Security determines that their impairment(s) is no longer disabling. Otherwise, their disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits at full retirement age.

HOWEVER, Tom can still choose to voluntarily suspend his retirement benefits effective with the month the conversion occurs, and then resume them at age 70. But, he wouldn't be able to receive benefits on anyone else's account while his own benefits are in suspense, nor could anyone receive benefits on his record. In order to receive the maximum number of delayed retirement credits (i.e. 32%), Tom would need to file his request for voluntary suspension no later than the month before he attains full retirement age, or in January 2017 if he turns 66 in February. If his 66th birthday happens to be on the 1st of February 2017, he'd need to file his request no later than December 2016 in order to receive the maximum number of delayed retirement credits.

Best, Jerry