I am currently 62 years & 8 months old. I am going to apply for SSDI but, if approved, that benefit will not start for at least 6 months. Does it hurt me in any way to also apply for regular Social Security now so that I have income while waiting for SSDI?

Hi. If you collect Social Security retirement benefits for any months before your first month of entitlement to Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits, you'll be stuck with a permanent reduction in your benefit rate for those months even after you start collecting SSDI benefits. Unreduced SSDI benefits are paid at 100% of a person's primary insurance amount (PIA), which is the same as a person is paid if they start drawing Social Security retirement benefits at their full retirement age (FRA). But, your benefit rate is reduced by 5/9ths of 1% to 5/12ths of 1% for each month that you collect Social Security retirement benefits prior to FRA.

The only way that drawing reduced Social Security retirement benefits prior to FRA won't cause at least some permanent reduction in your benefit rate is if your first month of SSDI entitlement ends up being earlier than or the same as your first month of Social Security retirement benefits. No SSDI benefits are payable during the 5 month waiting period for SSDI, so if you collect retirement benefits during that time your permanent rate will be reduced by 5/9ths of 1% for each month that you draw retirement benefits prior to when your SSDI benefit eligibility starts.

Best, Jerry