My husband has been on SS Disability since 2011. It will convert to Retirement this month. We would like to fill out a SS Form 521 and withdraw his retirement, but are unsure what to say on the form as to the reason for withdrawing.

Hi,

Your husband can't withdraw just retirement benefits if he's already receiving Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits. The only way that he could refuse automatic conversion to retirement benefits is to withdraw his disability claim and repay all of the benefits he's received. The reason for this is due to a change in rules that Social Security made in December of 2014 (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/social-securitys-christmas-pres...).

Your husband can suspend his retirement benefits effective with the month he turns age 66 in order to receive delayed retirement credits, but he couldn't then receive a full spousal benefit if that's what he had in mind. He may want to consider using the maximization software available on this website in order to explore his options and determine his best overall strategy.

Best, Jerry