Eligibility for Social Security in retirement (2024)

FAQs

Who qualifies for Social Security retirement benefits? ›

You can receive Social Security benefits based on your earnings record if you are age 62 or older, or a person with a disability or blindness and have enough work credits. Family members who qualify for benefits on your work record do not need work credits.

Some American workers do not qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. Workers who don't accrue the requisite 40 credits (roughly 10 years of employment) are not eligible for Social Security. Some government and railroad employees are not eligible for Social Security.

When you work and pay Social Security taxes, you earn “credits” toward Social Security benefits. The number of credits you need to receive retirement benefits depends on when you were born. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need 40 credits (10 years of work).

Learn more about credits at www.ssa.gov/planners/credits.html. Although you need at least 10 years of work (40 credits) to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits, we base the amount of your benefit on your highest 35 years of earnings.

You're eligible if: You're 62 or older. You've worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more.

Although many of the programs base benefit amounts and eligibility to work history, there are some instances where a person who has never worked can collect benefits. One program that provides benefits to people, not based on their work history, is Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Not working long enough is the most obvious reason someone wouldn't be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. You must have a work history of at least 10 years to earn the credits you need to be eligible for Social Security as a retiree.

Depending on your income, you can earn up to four credits a year. In 2024, workers earn one Social Security and Medicare credit for $1,730 in covered earnings. Under the five-year rule, people 31 and older must have worked at least five out of the last 10 years to be eligible for SSDI.

The amount a person receives in Social Security benefits is not directly affected by their current income or wealth. Therefore, even if someone is a millionaire or billionaire, they can still receive Social Security benefits if they have a qualifying work history.

Social Security benefits are typically computed using "average indexed monthly earnings." This average summarizes up to 35 years of a worker's indexed earnings. We apply a formula to this average to compute the primary insurance amount (PIA). The PIA is the basis for the benefits that are paid to an individual.