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Social Security Disability Work Credits

Social Security Disability Work Credits

To be eligible for SSDI, you must pass a recent work test and a duration of employment test.

People over the age of 18 who meet the medical criteria for disability and have earned the required number of work credits in the required amount of time are eligible to receive monthly Social Security Disability (SSD) payments from the Social Security Administration. For every three months work in a job covered by Social Security, one work credit is earned. A person's age determines how many credits and how long they need to complete the course.

You need to be insured for Social Security in order to be eligible for disability insurance (SSDI). This means that you have to have worked enough in the years before filing to have contributed a certain amount to the Social Security system (through FICA taxes taken out of your paychecks or self-employment taxes if you don't work for someone else).

Work Experience and Credits

To qualify for disability benefits, how much must you contribute to Social Security? As you can see, you only need to make a small amount to get credit for contributing to Social Security for a year. Therefore, the question really comes down to how many years you need to work to be eligible for disability.

By converting your earnings into work credits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) determines whether you have worked enough to be eligible for SSDI. Every year, a number is used to figure out how much it costs to get one work credit. In the year 2022, you should acquire $1,510 to get one Federal retirement aide work credit, or $6,040 to get the greatest four credits for the year. No matter where you work, it doesn't matter.

How many work credits are required to be eligible for SSDI?

To be eligible for benefits, you need more work credits the older you are. You must pass two tests that require work credits: the "duration of work test" and "recent work test."

Test of work duration

According to the "duration of work test," in order to be eligible for SSDI, you must have worked the following number of years or earned the following number of credits.

At age,                             became disabled

Required                             Credits

Years of Employment

62 or older

40

10

60

38

9.5

58

36

9

56

34

8.5

54

32

8

52

30

7.5

50

28

7

48

26

6.5

46

24

6

44

22

5.5

42

20

5

40

18

4.5

38

16

4

36

14

3.5

34

12

3

32

10

2.5

30

8

2

27 to 21

6

1.5


Test of recent work

To pass the most recent work test, you must have worked at least 5 of the last 10 years if you become disabled before the age of 31. To put it another way, in the ten years prior to becoming disabled, you will need to have earned 20 credits (one credit is equal to one quarter of work).

If you become disabled between the ages of 24 and 31, you must have worked for at least half of your 21st birthday. For instance, in order to qualify for disability benefits at the age of 29, you must have earned 16 credits or worked for at least four of the previous eight years. If you become disabled before the age of 27, you must have worked for at least three of the past six years or earned 12 credits in that time or have worked for at least three of those years.

You must have worked at least one and a half years in the three years preceding your disability or earned six credits in the last three years if you become disabled while you are under the age of 24.

Eligibility for members of the family

Through the SSDI program, family members of workers who are eligible for SSDI can get benefits for their dependents. A medically disabled adult child of someone receiving SSDI, for instance, can still be eligible for benefits even if the adult child has never worked. Benefits may also be available to children under the age of 18, as well as former partners. Auxiliary benefits are the official name for these benefits for families.

Disability Benefits for People Who Don't Have Enough Work Credits

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program offers disability benefits to people who haven't earned enough to be eligible for SSDI. Applicants for SSI must be able to demonstrate financial need by having a very low income, but there is no work requirement. 

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Thursday, 28 March 2024