You Need to Work 5 out of 10 Years to Qualify for Disability Benefits. What Does This Mean?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is for people who have paid into Social Security, and can no longer hold a job to earn income because of their medical condition. So, if you quit your last job 20 years ago to be a stay-at-home parent, and have now become disabled, can you get disability benefits? The answer is no, even if you once paid into Social Security. To be considered for SSDI, you must have worked five out of the last 10 years.
What, exactly, does that mean? Some people may think that they have to work five years straight to get benefits. That’s not true.
Let’s clear up the confusion.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), you have to pass two different earnings tests; a “duration of work” test and a “recent work test,” to qualify for disability insurance. The “duration of work” test reviews your entire work history. If you paid into Social Security throughout your working life, you are likely “fully insured” for retirement benefits, which you can get at retirement age.
If you are disabled and can’t work, you must pass both the “duration of work” test and the “recent work test.” The “recent work test” determines if you have earned five-years-worth of wages (or 20 quarters) over the last 10 years before your disability totally removed you from the workforce.
You accrue quarters of coverage through wages that qualify for Social Security taxes. In simplest terms, one quarter is equal to three months. Four quarters equals one year. You must have accumulated 20 quarters (five years) out of 40 quarters (10 years) to pass the “recent work test.”
A quarter has an earnings value, which goes up every year.
The value of one quarter in 2009 was $1,090. If you earned $2,500 in a two-week period in 2009, you earned two quarters. However, you can only earn four quarters in one year. So, even if your wages exceeded $4,360 ($1,090 x 4) at any time within 2009, you will still have earned four quarters.
SSA reviews the last 10 years of your work history and counts up the quarters you have earned. If you earned 20 quarters over the ten-year period, you pass the “recent work test” and will be considered for benefits. Keep in mind that the value of a quarter goes up each year. In 2010, one quarter will be worth $1,120.
So, when SSA says that to qualify for disability benefits you must have worked five out of the last 10 years, they mean you must have earned 20 out of 40 quarters within a ten-year period. If all this math is still as clear as mud, one of our Freedom Disability SSDI experts can figure out if you could be eligible for benefits.
Learn More About Your Disability Benefits:
Work History Required to Qualify for SSDI Benefits
Can I Get Both SSI and SSDI Benefits?
What is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?
What is (SSI) Supplemental Security Income?
SSDI or SSI Disability Benefits – What is the Difference?
What are Non-Medical Requirements for Social Security Disability Benefits?
Are You Insured for Disability and for How Much? Check Your Social Security Statement
I am inquiring about Social security for a friend who has a great deal of anxiety about the application and appeals proccesses for Social Security Disability. He became legitimately disabled about 10 years ago. He has COPD and Narcolepsy. As it happened he had a son so he went on public assistance and has managed with doctors attesting to his inability to work. He has applied for Social Security Disability in the past and been turned down. Since then he has developed diabetes as a result of the large quanities of prednisone that he has to take for the COPD. The combination of out of control blood sugar levels and side-effects of the prednisone, cause him extreme anxiousness and irritability that alone would make it very difficult to maintain any kind of work. The public assistance will soon not be an option. So here is a man who falls asleep mid sentence, cannot get a drivers licence, has trouble with anxiety to the point that often he can not accomplish grocery shopping because he gets so mad at the clerks or other shoppers that he storms out without his groceries. While he once (for several years) earned a solid and substantial income, has not been able to work anywhere close to 5 years out of the last 10. Does this mean that he does not qualify because this rule is absolute or through appeals proccesses are these sort of things considered on a case by case basis for Social Security Disability?
Katey, Your friend would not be eligible for SSDI because of the work rule. There is no getting around this work criteria. But your friend may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) assistance based on disability. He should contact his local Social Security office. They can assess his situation and provide advice on what benefit options he may have.
My husband is diasbled he is on workman comp. they send him a check for attendent care which he in turns pays me to take care of him. I need to file for disability myself can I claim the money he pays me from workmans comp as income so I can file for my disaibilty they have been paying for hiw care for over 5yrs. thak you tonna
Tonna, Unfortunately, you won't be able to claim your husband's Worker's Compensation payment as your earned income because it is not a wage from which you've paid into Social Security through FICA taxes.
My husband was diagnosed with copd about 2 years ago. In the past 2 years, it has become harder for my husband to work. He wakes up in the morning and is already so short of breath, it's hard for him to make it to the bathroom. He wants to continue working another year, before he even considers applying for disability. Does he have to quit his job before he applies, and how should he proceed?
Under the rules of the Social Security Administration one must be unable to work. If a person is working, he or she must be earning below substantial gainful activity, which is $1,000 gross per month.
I have been in 3 car accidents in the last 2 years. I have proven multiple injuries which I am still being treated for by a chiropractor 3X per week and my primary care off and on. Three bulging disks in my neck, six bulging disks in my back, one herniated disk in my low back, stenosis, and a nerve hooked around my spine, all of which cause me moderate to severe pain in my back, neck, buttocks, and down both legs. I clean houses for a living and make approximately $250 per week, sometimes a little less, and on rare occasions a little more. As time goes on I am becoming less and less able to work due to activity-related flare-ups and pain. I need to stop working but can not afford to, so I have given up a few of my larger jobs, which I thought might help but has not. Do I qualify for SSDI? I have worked steadily for most of my life but haven't made much $$$. I pay quarterly taxes always but my income has not been very high to pay much money into SS.
Donna, You should check your Social Security earning statement to find out if you have enough work credits to be insured for SSDI and how much you could expect in benefits. The amount is based on your earnings history. Depending on your income and resources you may be able to get Supplemental Security Income and get SSDI if your medical history supports that you cannot manage to work at any job. It would be best to call 866-347-2910 to talk to an Eligibility Consultant to further discuss your options and whether or not you could get more financial help.
hi i am 61 years of age, i had a good work history i got hurt in 1989, i was on workmans comp for approx 10 years, i found out my lawyer should have filed for ssdi for me or at least told me, iam on ssi, but i will be 62 years old and should be on ssdi, now i have to prove i have a good work history, but i will have to go back to 1989 to prove that,therefore i cant get no one to handle this for me, pleas give me some advise.
Stanley, As you know by reading this article, you must have a recent-enough work history to be insured for SSDI. That means you had to have earned five-years-worth of work credits in the last 10 years. It sounds like you have not worked at all in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, there is no way you can get around the rules of eligibility for SSDI. However, you have paid into Social Security during your lifetime so you can file for early retirement benefits from Social Security when you turn 62. Keep in mind that the income you receive from your retirement benefit will lower your SSI payment because your income resource will probably increase. Also, keep in mind, that when a person receiving SSDI benefits reaches full retirement age, their SSDI benefit automatically switches to their retirement benefit. The amount stays the same because both benefits are calculated from a person's work-history earnings.
i am a very energetic female. i enjoyed working as far as mentally but was not physically.
I will receive a rating and final stip within the next 12 months due to a workplace injury. I also suffer from lupus and diabetes. I have not worked in 8 months- would I be eligible to apply for SSI benefits thru your company?
Vin, We really need to know more about you to give you a fair answer. Age, work history and medical conditions are all factored into determining eligiblity for Social Security disability benefits. If interested in a free evaluation please call us toll free at 1-866-347-2910 to talk to an Eligiblity Consultant.
I became unemployed in Oct 2001 ... making my Disability window end as of Dec 31, 2006 (5 years). At the time of my umemplyment I was having some difficulties with my health, but not a true diagnosis of any specific condition. As the years passed, I began having more and more problems. (Fatigue, Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's disease, sjogren's disease, depression, diabetes and sarcoidosis). Several of these problems were "named" before Dec 2006. My question is this: If I have medical records that can substantiate these problems, prior to Dec 2006 ... is it possible to be approved for my disability.
Vicki, The answer is technically yes, if you can prove that your conditions were severe and disabling enough to prevent you from working during the period that you were inssured - the five-year-period between 2001-2006. Your age at the time of onset will also be a factor in SSA's decision, as well as if your conditions have continued. Any condition you may have developed after the insured time period would not be factored into the decision.
my brother-in-law who is now in atlanta has worked for 8 years in last 10 years.now he is under psychiatric treatment.he also lots of tremblings in his both hands,kind of parkinson diesease.will he be eligible for ssdi? will appriciate your legal help in this matter. thanks
Pete, We would need to know more about your brother-in-law to give you a fair assessment. It sounds like he meets SSA's work criteria. His age and the severity of his condition are also important factors as well as medical support from his doctors. If his condition does not clearly meet SSA's strict definition of disability, SSA will make a determination based on vocational guidelines. Our article about vocational guidelines explains how this works. If you think he wants to apply for disability please have him call one of our Eligibility Consultants at 866-347-2910 to discuss his options.
I have a question my husband in on disabiltiy related to a severe heart condition. They are going to be placing a left ventricular assist device in his heart. He will require me to be home with him daily I currently work and am 60 years old is there any way I can qualify for early ss benefit since he needs care?
Amanda, You could take early retirement at age 62. But there may be assistance available for people who stay home to care for a disabled person. It would be best to check with your local Social Security office for more guidance on this.
question I have been recieving ss disability for a while I am questioning the amount I recieve I have worked over 20 years and seem like I get very little.people I know who worked much less in years getting so much more than me can I ask for it to be reevualted
Diane, Your benefit is based on your earnings record. It is figured just the same as if you took your benefit at retirement. SSA calculates that benefit from averaging your highest earning years. Perhaps the people you are referencing earned more and paid more in taxes into Social Security within a shorter period of time than you did durding your working career. You certainly can question SSA on how they calculated your disablity benefit.
Hi, Does working abroad count in the 5/10 year rule? I moved to the UK 10yrs ago and have always worked here. I am a US citizen and had worked and paid SStaxes all my adult life before moving here. I have MS and have had to give up work finally earlier this year. According to my SS I have plenty of work credits. My problem is that although I have been working, it wasn't in the US. Do I have a case at all? Thanks for any info!
Dawn, this is a great question and one which we have not yet addressed on our site. We'll get a detailed article up in January '12 on this topic, but in the meantime I've provided a short excerpt from SSA's website along with a link to their explanation of how someone can receive benefits if they have worked in the UK. If you have Social Security credits in both the United States and the United Kingdom, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country's system, you will get a regular benefit from that country. If you don't meet the basic requirements, the agreement may help you qualify for a benefit as explained below.
Link to Social Security Disability benefits for those who have worked in both the US and UK.
Hello, I stopped working in 2003, and am wondering if I can go back to old medical records as proof that I was looking for a diagnosis before that time? I have a diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease, Sjogren's Syndrome, and fibromyalgia. The Hashimoto's was the first to be diagnosed in approx. 2005. I had severe pain during the time I was employed, and went through several tests including MRI and CT scans to find the ailment. None was ever found until 2005. I did miss a lot of work due to pain and illness, which I am sure is documented. I not only stopped working in 2003, but the company I worked for was going to be letting me go in October of 2003 because of new systems at work, and my job was no longer needing to be occupied by a person, but a new computer system. I have been told by two lawyers that they would not touch a case for me because of the fact that I have been out of work for too long. I am a stay at home mom since 2003. Thanks so much, Tara
Hi Tara, In order to be insured for SSDI benefits you must have BOTH recent work credits as well as enough work credits across your working life. To meet the recent work test, an individual who becomes disabled after age 31 must have ample work in 5 years out of the 10 years prior to becoming disabled. This is also referred to as having earned 20 quarters of coverage during a 40 calendar quarter period. Because you have been out of work for 9 years, you would not be insured to recieve SSDI benefits. If you haven't already, I would look into apply ing for SSI or Supplemental Security Insurance. SSI is a needs-based program available to assist people with few resources and low income. Your eligibility for SSI is determined by what resources and income you have, where and how you live, and if you have a qualifying medical condition that meets SSA’s definition of a disability. You can apply for these benefits online by visiting the SSA's website. Good luck!
My husband began getting SS disability benefits in Feb of 2001. At the time he applied we were not married and he was only 25 years old when he started recieving benefits. We were married in Jan of 2001 and he recieved his first check in Feb, which is a very small amount considering he did not have enough credits. My question is can the amount of benefits that he recieves be reevaluated based on my income? What about our children do they qualify to recieve benefits based on their fathers disability? My next question is that now my husband has some substantial medical issues and has already had several surgeries this year related to the diagnosis that won him his disability benefits and really needs me to be at home to take care of him, is there help for this?