How to qualify for social security retirement benefits

You start down the road to eligibility by working and paying Social Security taxes, either through payroll deductions (required by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, or FICA) or through income tax filings if you are self-employed (required by the Self-Employed Contributions Act, or SECA).

Table of Contents Show

Ways to Apply
Retirement or Spouse's Benefits
Disability Benefits
Appeal a Disability Decision
Medicare Benefits
Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Costs
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits
Survivors Benefits
Children's Benefits
Check the Status of Your Application
How do I know if I will be eligible for Social Security benefits?
What disqualifies you from getting Social Security?
How many years do you have to work to get maximum Social Security?
How do you get Social Security retirement?

You qualify for Social Security by compiling credits when you pay Social Security taxes on your earnings. You can earn up to four credits per year. Workers qualify for Social Security retirement benefits when they reach 40 lifetime credits.

In 2022, $1,510 in income from “covered” employment — work in which you paid Social Security taxes — equals one work credit. You can reach your four-credit maximum by earning at least $6,040 for the year. The credit amounts are adjusted annually for inflation.

You become eligible to collect Social Security retirement benefits at age 62. You can check on your eligibility, earnings history and estimated future benefits on the Social Security statement at your online My Social Security account.

Keep in mind

While you can start collecting retirement benefits at age 62, your payments are reduced if you claim them before reaching full retirement age (FRA), which is 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956 and is gradually going up to 67. If you wait until FRA to file, you qualify for 100 percent of the benefit calculated from your lifetime earnings.
You can further increase your retirement benefit by filing as late as age 70.
Retirement benefits are just one type of Social Security benefit. There are also survivor benefits, spousal benefits and disability benefits, all of which have their own qualification criteria. To find out more about eligibility for those programs, you can use Social Security’s Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool.

Ways to Apply

You can complete an application for Retirement, Spouse's, Medicare or Disability Benefits online.

If you cannot submit your application online:

You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778); or
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to our offices are by appointment only for certain services. Please visit our Coronavirus page to see if you may be eligible for an in-person appointment.

If you live outside the U.S. you can contact the Federal Benefits Unit that provides service to your country of residence.

Retirement or Spouse's Benefits

You can apply online for Retirement or spouse's benefits or continue an application you already started.

You must be at least 61 years and 9 months old and want your benefits to start no more than four months in the future.

If you qualify for both retirement and spouse's benefits, please read:

If you are eligible for a spouse's benefit and your own retirement benefit

If you are almost 65, your application for benefits will include Medicare.

Information You May Need to Apply:

Retirement Benefits
Spouse's or Divorced Spouse's Benefits

Disability Benefits

You can apply online for disability benefits or continue an application you already started.

Information You May Need to Apply:

Disability Benefits

Appeal a Disability Decision

If your application for disability benefits was denied recently for medical reasons, you can request an appeal online or continue working on an appeal you already started.

Medicare Benefits

You can apply online for Medicare or continue an application you already started.

If you are almost 65 but you don't want your retirement benefits to start, you can just apply online for Medicare using the "Retirement/Medicare Benefits" application.

Information You May Need to Apply:

Medicare

Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Costs

You can apply online for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits

If you want to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), please read:

How Do I Apply For SSI?

Survivors Benefits

You cannot report a death or apply for survivors' benefits online.

If you need to report a death or apply for survivors' benefits, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). You can speak to a Social Security representative between 7 AM and 7 PM Monday through Friday. You can also contact your local Social Security office.

In most cases, the funeral home will report the person's death to Social Security. If you want them to do that, you will need to give the deceased's Social Security Number to the funeral director so they can make the report.

If you are getting benefits on your spouse's or parent's record:

We'll automatically change any monthly benefits to survivor benefits after the death is reported to us.
We may be able to pay the Special Lump Sum Death Benefit automatically.

If you are getting retirement or disability benefits on your own record, you will need to apply for the survivor benefits. We will check to see whether you can get a higher benefit as a widow or widower.

If you are not getting benefits, you should apply for survivor benefits promptly because, in some cases, benefits may not be retroactive.

Information You May Need to Apply:

Widows/Widowers or Surviving Divorced Spouse's Benefits
Child's Benefits
Mother's or Father's Benefits
Lump-Sum Death Payment
Parent's Benefits
(You must have been dependent on your child at the time of his or her death.)

Children's Benefits

You cannot apply online for benefits for a child. Please read:

Information You Need to Apply for Child's Benefits

Check the Status of Your Application

After you apply, you can check the status of your application online. You will need your Social Security number and confirmation that you received when you applied to use this service.

You can also use the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) to find out if you could get benefits that Social Security administers. Based on your answers to questions, this tool will list benefits for which you might be eligible and tell you more information about how to qualify and apply.

If you have not reported income and evaded taxes for a lifetime, then you have no right to Social Security benefits.

You need to earn at least the taxable maximum each year for 35 years to get the maximum possible Social Security payment. If you don't work for 35 years, zeros are averaged into your calculation and will decrease your Social Security payments.

You can apply:.

Online; or..

By calling our national toll-free service at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visiting your local Social Security office. Call ahead to make an appointment..

If you do not live in the U.S. or one of its territories, you can also contact your nearest U.S..

qualify social security retirement benefits