Do I have enough work credits for Social Security Disability?

Social Security insured status depends completely upon quarters of coverage, a.k.a. work credits, for both fully insured and disability insured status. To be fully insured, you need at least one quarter of coverage for each year after the year you turned 21 and the earliest of the following: the year prior to your turning sixty-two, the year before you die, or the year you became disabled.

The minimum amount of quarters of coverage needed to be fully insured is six quarters of coverage and the maximum needed is forty quarters of coverage. Each year, an individual has the potential of earning four quarters of coverage through their work activity. Social Security establishes a monetary amount each year for a quarter of coverage. The amount of quarters of coverage or work credits that an individual earns has a direct affect upon their disability insured status.

Whether or not a claimant meets the medical disability listing set out by the Social Security Administration (SSA), to be eligible for Social Security disability benefits (under title II) the applicant must have earned a sufficient number of work credits in the years leading up to their disability. The amount of income required to earn a work credit changes from year to year, but in 2010 a worker can earn one work credit for every $1,120 in taxable income--capping out at four credits per year. In order to earn credits on income, the claimant must have paid Social Security taxes on that income.
The number of work credits required to claim disability is not the same for every claimant, and it depends heavily on your age at the time of disability. What claimants must also consider is that work credits must typically be earned within a recent time frame. The following is a breakdown of the credits required for claimants at a variety of ages:

--Age 23 or younger - Claimants are required to have at least 6 work credits, all earned within the 3 year period leading up to your disability.

---Between ages 24 and 31 - To qualify, work credits earned since the age of 21 should amount to half-time employment. For instance, a worker that becomes disabled 4 working years after age 21 (age 25) will require work credits totaling the equivalent of 2 years of full-time work (8 credits).

--Over the age of 31 - Eligible claimants are required to have at least 20 work credits earned within the 10 years leading up to the disability. As the claimant's age increases, so does the number of required work credits. By age 62, claimant's will need a total of 40 work credits.

Blind claimants, or those with low vision, have different work credit requirements. Their work credits may be accumulated over the course of all of their working years, and credits may still be earned for work performed even after becoming blind. If vision impaired claimants still do not meet the work credit requirements, they may sometimes acquire benefits using the work credits of a parent or spouse.

While this is confusing to many claimants, it s really quite simple. There is a date in the future referred to as your date last insured (DLI). This is the last date that you will qualify for SSDI benefits. In general, the SSA will look back 10 years from the date the claimant s disability application is filed and will determine if they have worked 20 of the last 40 quarters (or five of the last 10 years). Fewer credits are required for younger workers.

Workers can receive a maximum of four work credits each year. The exact amount of work credits you earn each year will depend on your employment activity and the amount of your earnings. In 2021, a worker must earn $1,470 to earn one work credit. In order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, you will generally need to have earned a total of 20 work credits, although there are age exceptions to this rule.

You will not be able to qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits if you do not have the proper work history. It is possible that you have never been able to work due to your disability. For someone who does not have the necessary work history to qualify for disability benefits, you might be able to qualify for Supplemental Security Income. SSI is a government benefit that is available for those who have a disability, limited financial resources, and don’t have the required work history for SSDI. SSI is a needs-based program, however, and you will need to meet the SSA's household income and asset restrictions before going further.

If you need helping applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 25 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.