Work Credits Are How Social Security Measures Your Work History

Social Security does not count years worked. Instead, it counts work credits—a measure of how much you earned in covered employment during a specific year. You earn one credit for every $1,550 of wages you make in 2024 (this amount changes each year). You can earn a maximum of four credits per year, regardless of how much you earn above that threshold.

To receive SSDI, you must have earned enough credits during your working years. The exact number depends on your age when your disability began. Younger workers need fewer credits; older workers need more. You also must have earned most of your credits recently—within the last 10 years—which is called the recency requirement.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) keeps a record of your earnings history and the credits you have earned. You can view this record online through your my Social Security account, or request a paper copy by mail.

Key Takeaways

  • You earn one work credit for every $1,550 earned in 2024, up to four credits per year, and the dollar amount changes annually.
  • Most people need 40 total credits to receive SSDI, with at least 20 of those credits earned in the 10 years before your disability began.
  • Younger workers may need fewer than 40 credits depending on their age when disability started.
  • Your earnings record is maintained by Social Security, and you can check it for free through my Social Security or by requesting a paper statement.

How Many Credits You Need Based on Your Age

The number of credits required depends on how old you were when your disability began. If you were born in 1929 or later and became disabled at age 62 or older, you need 40 credits total. If you became disabled between ages 24 and 61, you still typically need 40 credits, but only 20 of them must have been earned in the 10 years when ready before your disability started.

If you became disabled before age 24, the requirement is lower. You need credits equal to one and a half times the number of years from age 21 to the age you became disabled, with a minimum of six credits. For example, if you became disabled at age 22, you would need only six credits. If you became disabled at age 23, you would need approximately nine credits.

Blind workers have a different rule: you need 40 credits total, but there is no recency requirement. You do not have to have earned those credits recently.

The Recency Requirement: When Your Credits Must Be Earned

Even if you have 40 credits, you must have earned at least 20 of them in the 10 years before your disability began. This is the recency requirement, and it exists because Social Security wants to may support you were working recently enough to have a current connection to the workforce.

The 10-year window is measured backward from the date your disability is determined to have started. If you stopped working five years ago and then became disabled, you would have earned all your recent credits in that five-year period, which falls within the 10-year window. If you have not worked in more than 10 years, you cannot meet the recency requirement, even if you have 40 total credits from earlier in your life.

The exception is workers who are blind. Blind workers do not have a recency requirement—they only need 40 total credits, earned at any point in their working life.

How Your Earnings Record Is Tracked

Your employer reports your wages to Social Security each year, and Social Security converts those wages into credits. The SSA maintains a complete record of your earnings history, showing how much you earned each year and how many credits you received. This record is the basis for determining whether you meet the credit requirement for SSDI.

You can check your earnings record for free by creating an account at ssa.gov and logging into my Social Security. Your record will show your earnings year by year and the credits you have earned. You can also request a paper copy of your earnings record by completing Form SSA-7050-F and mailing it to your local Social Security office, or by visiting an office in person.

If you see an error in your earnings record—for example, wages that were not credited to your account or wages credited to the wrong year—you should report it to Social Security as soon as possible. Errors can affect both your SSDI benefit amount and whether you meet the credit requirement.

Self-Employment and Credits

If you are self-employed, you still earn work credits based on your net self-employment income. You must have net earnings of at least $1,550 in 2024 to earn one credit, and you can earn up to four credits per year. Self-employment income is reported on your federal tax return (Schedule C), and Social Security uses that information to calculate your credits.

Self-employed workers sometimes miss earning credits because they do not file a tax return or underreport income. If you are self-employed and working toward SSDI, make sure you file your tax return each year, even if your income is below the filing threshold. This ensures Social Security has an accurate record of your earnings and credits.

What Happens If You Do Not Have Enough Credits

If you do not have enough work credits when you explore for SSDI, your process will be denied based on the non-medical requirement. This is separate from the medical review—it means you did not meet the work history threshold, regardless of whether you have a may have access to disability.

If you are close to meeting the credit requirement, you may want to delay your process if you are still able to work. Each additional year of work can earn you up to four more credits. However, if your disability prevents you from working, you should still explore, because the SSA will date your disability to when it actually began, not when you applied. If you gain enough credits between now and when your case is decided, you may still be found to meet the requirement.

If you do not meet the credit requirement for SSDI, you may be able to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) instead, which is a needs-based program that does not require work credits. SSI has different rules and lower income and resource limits, but it is available to disabled, blind, or elderly individuals regardless of work history.

Credits for Non-Covered Work

Most jobs in the United States are covered by Social Security, meaning your employer reports your wages and you earn credits. However, some government employees hired before a certain date, railroad workers, and a small number of other workers may not be covered by Social Security.

If you have worked in non-covered employment, those years do not count toward your SSDI credits. You should check your earnings record to see which years are listed and which are not. If you have a mix of covered and non-covered work, only the covered work counts. This can make it harder to meet the credit requirement if a significant portion of your work history is non-covered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I earn work credits after I become disabled?

If you continue to work after your disability begins, you can continue to earn credits. However, if you are receiving SSDI benefits, your benefits may be affected if your earnings exceed the substantial gainful activity limit (currently $1,550 per month in 2024). The credits themselves do not stop you from receiving benefits, but high earnings can.

Do I need to requalify for credits every year?

No. Once you have earned a credit, it stays on your record permanently. You do not need to earn new credits to keep the ones you already have. However, you must meet the recency requirement—at least 20 of your 40 credits must be from the 10 years before your disability began.

What if I worked in another country?

Work performed in another country generally does not count toward SSDI credits unless that country has a totalization agreement with the United States. A few countries do have such agreements, which allow work in both countries to be combined. You can contact Social Security to ask whether your country of work has an agreement.

How do I know what the credit amount will be next year?

Social Security announces the new credit amount each October for the following year. The amount is based on changes in average wages. You can check ssa.gov in October to see the updated amount, or contact Social Security directly.