The short answer
Social Security credits are earned from covered wages and self-employment income, not from time on the job. In 2026 you earn one credit for each $1,890 of earnings, up to four credits a year, so $7,560 earned at any point in the year gives you the full four; in 2027 a credit takes $1,970. Most people need 40 credits, about ten years of work, to qualify for retirement benefits, and no one needs more than 40 for any benefit. Disability benefits need fewer credits for younger workers, but most also require recent work: generally 20 credits in the ten years before the disability began. Survivor benefits can be paid on the record of a young worker with as few as six credits. Credits also decide whether Medicare Part A is premium-free. Extra credits beyond the number you need do not raise your benefit; your average earnings do.
What a credit is
A credit, which Social Security's rules also call a quarter of coverage, is a unit of covered earnings. Each year the amount needed for one credit rises with average wages. In 2026 it is $1,890, and you can earn at most four credits in a year, so earnings of $7,560 or more earn the maximum.
The timing within the year does not matter. Someone who earns $7,560 in January and nothing for the rest of the year has the same four credits as someone who earns $630 a month all year. What counts is covered earnings: wages on which Social Security tax was withheld, and net self-employment earnings of $400 or more on which you paid self-employment tax.
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Year | One credit | Four credits, the yearly maximum |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,810 | $7,240 |
| 2026 | $1,890 | $7,560 |
| 2027 | $1,970 | $7,880 |
Forty credits for retirement
Anyone born in 1929 or later needs 40 credits for retirement benefits. At four a year that is ten years of work, though the years do not have to be consecutive, and a year of part-time work can earn the same four credits as a year of full-time work.
Credits stay on your record once earned. If you leave the workforce for years to raise children or care for a parent, the credits you already have are still there when you return, and the remaining ones can be earned later. Forty credits make you eligible; they do not set the amount. Your benefit is based on your highest 35 years of earnings, which our guide to how much Social Security pays explains.
Disability: fewer credits, but recent ones
Because a disability can strike early, younger workers need fewer credits. Most workers also have to pass a recent-work test: generally, at least 20 credits earned in the ten years ending when the disability began. Younger workers have easier rules for that test too: before 24, six credits in the three years before the disability can be enough, and between 24 and 31, credit for about half the time since age 21.
| Age at onset | Credits needed |
|---|---|
| 31 through 42 | 20 |
| 44 | 22 |
| 48 | 26 |
| 52 | 30 |
| 56 | 34 |
| 60 | 38 |
| 62 or older | 40 |
The requirement rises by two credits for every two years of age between 42 and 62. The recent-work test is the one that catches people out: someone who worked for twenty years and then stopped for more than five years can have plenty of credits in total and still not be insured for disability. Our guide to how Social Security decides disability covers the medical side, and the SSDI calculator checks your work record against the test.
When disability coverage runs out
The recent-work test means disability protection has an end date. Social Security calls it your date last insured: the last day on which a disability could begin and still be covered by your work record. For most workers 31 or older, it falls about five years after they stop working, because after that they no longer have 20 credits in the most recent ten years.
That date matters when you leave a job for a long stretch, retire early or move abroad. A claim for a condition that began after it will be turned down for lack of insured status, however serious the condition. If you are thinking of stopping work and have health problems, look up the date on your record first. A few years of earnings that reach the four-credit level each year keep the coverage alive, and even part-time work can do it.
Survivors and family members
Survivor benefits follow the same idea: no one needs more than 40 credits, and younger workers need fewer. A worker who dies at 28 or younger may need as few as six. There is also a special rule for young families: the worker's children, and a spouse caring for those children, can receive benefits if the worker earned six credits in the three years before death, even without the full number.
Family members do not need credits of their own to be paid on a worker's record. A spouse who never worked outside the home can receive spousal benefits, and a widow or widower can receive survivor benefits, because the credits that count are the worker's. Our guides to spousal benefits and survivor benefits explain the amounts.
Credits and Medicare
Medicare uses the same credits. With 40 credits, earned by you or by a current, former or deceased spouse in some cases, Part A hospital insurance is premium-free at 65. With 30 to 39 credits, Part A costs $311 a month in 2026; with fewer than 30, it costs $565. Part B has a premium for nearly everyone whatever their credits. Our guide to Medicare costs has the rest of the figures.
Counting your own credits
Example (hypothetical): a student, a part-timer and a returning worker
A college student who earns $5,000 at a summer job in 2026 has earned two credits, because $5,000 covers two credits at $1,890 each but not a third, which needs $5,670.
A part-time worker earning $1,000 a month earns $12,000 in 2026 and gets the full four credits, the same as a full-time worker. A woman who earned 32 credits before leaving work to care for her children needs eight more, so two years of earnings of at least $7,560 a year would bring her to 40.
To see your real count, sign in to your my Social Security account and open your Social Security Statement, which shows your earnings year by year and whether you have enough credits for each benefit. Our guide to creating the account walks through it, and the guide to checking your earnings record explains how to fix a missing year.
Work that does not earn credits
Some jobs are not covered by Social Security, so the earnings do not count toward credits. The most common are state and local government jobs covered by a public pension instead, some work for religious orders, and earnings paid in cash and never reported. If you are self-employed and report no profit, or less than $400, you earn no credits for that year.
Work abroad usually does not count either, though the United States has agreements with some countries that let credits from both systems be combined; our guide to Social Security abroad explains how.
Common questions
Do more than 40 credits increase my Social Security benefit?
No. Credits only decide whether you qualify. Once you have the number you need, your benefit depends on your earnings, generally your highest 35 years, and the age you claim.
Can I earn all four credits for the year in a few months?
Yes. Credits are based on what you earn in the year, not when. In 2026, earning $7,560 by March gives you the same four credits as earning it over twelve months.
Do Social Security credits expire?
No. Credits stay on your record. Disability benefits, though, also require recent work, generally 20 credits in the ten years before the disability began.
How many credits do I need for premium-free Medicare Part A?
Forty, which can come from your own work or, in some cases, a spouse's. With 30 to 39 credits the 2026 premium is $311 a month, and with fewer it is $565.
Official sources
Count first, then plan the work
Look up your credits before you make a decision that depends on them, such as leaving a job, retiring abroad or counting on disability coverage. If you are short, the gap is often smaller than it seems: a year of modest earnings closes it by four. Once you have enough, the retirement calculator shows what your earnings are likely to pay.
