The Title 2-FZ, which is sometimes referred to as a Title II Freeze, is a period of time in which a disabled individual’s “work credit record” or “earnings history” is place on hold or frozen by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Social Security Disability benefits are often technically referred to as Title II Benefits . This is in reference to the statute or law that established and governs the program. A Title II Freeze or “FZ” is a designation assigned to a person’s work record at the time they begin receiving Title II Benefits.
Workers accumulate work credits over the course of their employment as they pay taxes that fund Social Security programs. When the SSA determines eligibility for Social Security benefits, including disability and retirement benefits, they must review the individual’s work record, including work credits and earnings history.
Because a disabled person is not able to work and is therefore not accumulating work credits during their period of disability, the SSA places their work record on hold or freezes it. In this way, the SSA helps protect the individual’s future eligibility for benefits.
The Title 2-FZ is the period that the individual’s work record is frozen, and this frozen period doesn’t count against a person’s future eligibility for Social Security Disability or Social Security Retirement benefits. When the SSA calculates the amount of future benefit payments as well as eligibility for Social Security programs, the period of the Title 2-FZ is simply ignored.
