Social Security checks are sent to millions of seniors in the United States every year. Therefore, many Americans tend to think that such payments are easy to get. However, you must meet several requirements to collect them.
First of all, you must be at least 62 years old and you can even wait until you are 70. Not everyone that works is eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. So, if you work you must pay taxes to SSA. If you work and pay no taxes, you cannot qualify for these checks.
What is more, some people might have worked and paid taxes, but they still do not qualify. Social Security requires workers, not only to work and pay taxes, but also to do it for a particular period of time.
How long do I have to collect Social Security retirement checks?
In order to collect Social Security retirement benefits, you must have worked and paid taxes for about ten years. Here comes the importance of work credits. There are many people who have worked all their lives but they did not check if their employer paid Social Security taxes.
This could mean that they cannot apply to collect retirement benefits. Perhaps, if they have low income and resources they might be able to apply for other federal programs. For instance, they could check their eligibility for the Supplemental Security Income or for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
How many work credits do I need to collect SSA benefits?
According to Social Security, you must have earned at least 40 credits to qualify for retirement benefits. If you do not have forty credits, you cannot be eligible for SSA retirement benefits. So, you must be wondering about the number of credits you can earn per year.
Thus, workers can earn four credits per year only. Even if you are a really high earner, you will still qualify for just four credits. Then, you need to work out the number of years you need to work to earn up to 40 credits.
Hence, you will need to work for at least 10 years to earn 40 credits. These credits will also come in handy to determine if you are eligible for Medicare, or survivor’s benefits. If you have a disability, you could claim disability benefits or SSDI, but you will also need work credits says SSA. Make sure you pay taxes to Social Security as you work to collect checks in the future.