Social Security Report

Q & A

Social Security Q&A: How many credits do I need for benefits?

Question: I’ve only been working for a few years, and I’m wondering how I earn Social Security benefits. What are credits and how many do I need to qualify for benefits?

Answer: We use your total yearly earnings to calculate your Social Security credits. “Credits” are the units we use to measure whether you qualify for Social Security benefits. The amount needed for a credit in 2015 is $1,220. You can earn a maximum of four credits for any year. The amount needed to earn one credit increases automatically each year when average wages increase.

You must earn a certain number of credits to qualify for Social Security benefits. The number of credits you need depends on your age when you apply and the type of benefit for which you are applying. No one needs more than 40 credits for any Social Security benefit. You can learn more about earning credits by reading How You Earn Credits at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs .

Source: Centre Daily Times, May 18, 2015

Notice: The link provided above connect readers to the full text of the posted question and/or its response. The URL (internet addresses) for any links are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. Also, the opinions expressed in these postings are the viewpoints of the original source and are not explicitly endorsed by AMAC, Inc. or socialsecurityreport.org.