What If I Am Disabled?
How To Collect Disability Benefits
Download
Download and print this checklist of the requirements for your disability application.
You can apply online:
You don't have to wait for an appointment. You can start your disability claim immediately.
You don't have to make a trip to the Social Security Office. You can do it on your computer from the comfort of your home.
To use the online application to apply for benefits you must be age 18 or older, have worked and paid Social Security taxes long enough to qualify, have a medical condition that has prevented you from working or is expected to prevent you from working for at least 12 months or end in death.
Also, you must reside in the United States or one of its territories/commonwealths.
You usually need 40 credits and 20 of them should be from the last 10 years. But! That depends on your age.
In 2011, you earned one credit for each $1,120 of wages or self-employment income. It takes $4,480 to earn your four credits for the year.
Here are the rules for how much work you need to have done to qualify for disability benefits.
Until you are 24, You can qualify with 6 credits. The credits have to be earned in the last 3 years right before you start your disability.
If you are between 24 to 31
You would need to have worked half of the time from when you became 21 and when you became disabled.
If you are older than 31
In general, you need to have the number of work credits that are in this chart.
Unless you are blind, you must have earned at least 20 of the credits in the 10 years immediately before you became disabled. More below...
| Born after 1929, Become Disabled At Age |
Number of Credits You Need |
|---|---|
31 through 42 |
20 |
44 |
22 |
46 |
24 |
48 |
26 |
50 |
28 |
52 |
30 |
54 |
32 |
56 |
34 |
58 |
36 |
60 |
38 |
62 or older |
40 |
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