What Social Security counts as "enough" work history
Social Security does not require you to have earned a certain dollar amount. Instead, it counts work credits — a measure of how long you have worked and paid Social Security taxes. You need 40 credits total to receive retirement benefits, and you can earn a maximum of 4 credits per year. This means you need roughly 10 years of work history, though the years do not have to be consecutive.
The dollar amount you need to earn to get one credit changes each year. In 2024, you earn one credit for every $1,730 in wages (if you are self-employed, net earnings count the same way). Once you have earned $6,920 in a year, you have earned the maximum 4 credits for that year, even if you earn more.
Your actual Social Security payment amount is separate from whether you have enough credits. The payment is based on your highest 35 years of earnings, averaged over your working life. If you worked fewer than 35 years, zeros are counted for the missing years, which lowers your average.
Key Takeaways
- You need 40 work credits to receive Social Security retirement benefits, which typically requires about 10 years of work history.
- Work credits are earned by paying Social Security taxes on wages or self-employment income, not by reaching a dollar threshold.
- Your monthly payment amount depends on your 35 highest-earning years, so working longer or earning more can increase your benefit.
- If you have fewer than 40 credits, you will not receive retirement benefits, but you may still be able to receive survivor or disability benefits under different rules.
- The earnings amount needed for one credit increases most years, so the requirement for someone starting work today will be higher than it was for someone who started decades ago.
How work credits are counted and earned
A work credit is tied to earnings, not to hours worked or time on the job. You earn one credit for each $1,730 you earn in wages or self-employment income (the exact amount changes yearly). You cannot earn more than 4 credits in a single year, no matter how much you earn.
Self-employed people count net earnings from self-employment after business expenses are deducted. If you are an employee, your employer withholds Social Security tax from your paycheck, and that counts toward your credits. If you are self-employed, you pay both the employee and employer portions of Social Security tax (called self-employment tax), and both count.
The years you earn credits do not have to be recent or consecutive. If you worked 10 years in your twenties, took 20 years off, and worked 5 more years in your fifties, you would still have 15 years of credits. However, only your highest 35 years of earnings count toward your monthly payment amount, so the years you did not work lower your average.
How your earnings history affects your monthly payment
Once you have 40 credits, you are may have access to to a retirement benefit. But the amount you receive depends on how much you earned during your working years. Social Security calculates your benefit using your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for inflation. If you worked fewer than 35 years, the missing years count as zero, which reduces your average.
This is why working longer can increase your benefit. If you worked 30 years and then work 5 more years, those 5 new years replace the 5 lowest-earning years in your record, potentially raising your average. Similarly, if you earned very little in some years, working additional years at higher wages can push those low-earning years out of the calculation.
Your benefit also depends on when you start receiving it. If you start at your full retirement age (which ranges from 66 to 67 depending on your birth year), you receive your full benefit amount. If you start earlier, at 62, your benefit is permanently reduced. If you delay past your full retirement age, your benefit increases by about 8 percent per year until age 70.
What happens if you do not have 40 credits
If you have fewer than 40 credits, you will not receive a retirement benefit based on your own work record. However, you may be able to receive benefits in other ways. If you are married or were married for at least 10 years, you may be able to receive a benefit based on your spouse's or ex-spouse's work record, even if you have no credits of your own.
You may also be able to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) under different credit requirements. SSDI requires fewer credits if you became disabled before age 31, and SSI is a needs-based program that does not require work credits at all. Your family members may also be able to receive survivor benefits based on your record if you pass away, even if you had not yet started receiving retirement benefits yourself.
How to check your work credit record
You can see how many credits you have earned by creating an account on ssa.gov and viewing your Social Security Statement. The statement shows your earnings history year by year and tells you how many credits you have earned so far. You should check this record every few years to make sure it is accurate, because errors can affect your benefit amount.
If you find an error — such as earnings that were not credited to your account or earnings credited under the wrong name — you can contact Social Security to correct it. You will need to provide proof of your earnings, such as tax returns or W-2 forms. It is easier to correct errors while you are still working, so checking your record periodically is worth the time.
How the credit amount changes each year
The earnings threshold for one credit is adjusted annually based on changes in average wages. This means the amount you need to earn to get one credit is typically higher each year than it was the year before. In recent years, the increase has been roughly $100 to $200 per year, though the exact amount varies.
This adjustment protects workers from the effects of inflation and wage growth. Someone earning minimum wage today can still earn credits at the same pace as someone earning minimum wage did 20 years ago, even though wages have risen. The Social Security Administration publishes the new credit amount each October for the following year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get Social Security if I only worked part-time?
Yes. Social Security counts earnings, not hours worked. If you earned enough to get 40 credits over your working life, you are may have access to to a benefit, even if all your jobs were part-time. Your monthly payment will be based on what you earned, so part-time work that paid less will result in a lower benefit than full-time work would have.
What if I worked in another country?
Work you did in another country generally does not count toward Social Security credits unless that country has a totalization agreement with the United States. These agreements allow work in both countries to be combined. You can contact Social Security to ask whether your country of work has such an agreement.
Do I need to have worked recently to get Social Security?
No. Once you have 40 credits, you are may have access to to a retirement benefit whenever you start receiving it, even if you have not worked in decades. However, your benefit amount is based on your highest 35 years of earnings, so years you did not work count as zero and lower your average.
If I did not work 35 years, will my benefit be very low?
Your benefit will be lower than someone who worked 35 years at the same wage, because the missing years count as zero. However, you still receive a benefit based on the years you did work. The exact amount depends on how much you earned in those years and when you start receiving benefits.
Can my spouse get benefits if they have no work credits?
Yes. A spouse can receive a benefit based on your work record even if they have no credits of their own, as long as you are at least 62 and married. An ex-spouse can also receive benefits on your record if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, even if you have remarried.