Many people do not realize that in order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits you need to have worked a certain number of “quarters” in addition to being totally disabled.  Typically to get disability benefits, you must meet two different earnings tests:

1. A “recent work” test based on your age at the time you became disabled; and
2. A “duration of work” test to show that you worked long enough under Social Security.

The following table shows the rules for how much work you need for the “recent work” test based on your age when your disability began. The rules in this table are based on the calendar quarter in which you turned or will turn a certain age.

 

The calendar quarters are:

First Quarter: January 1 through March 31;

Second Quarter: April 1 through June 30;

Third Quarter: July 1 through September 30; and

Fourth Quarter: October 1 through December 31.

 

Rules for work needed for the “recent work test”
If you become disabled…	Then you generally need:
In or before the quarter you turn age 24	1.5 years of work during the three-year period ending with the quarter your disability began.
In the quarter after you turn age 24 but before the quarter you turn age 31	Work during half the time for the period beginning with the quarter after you turned 21 and ending with the quarter you became disabled. Example: If you become disabled in the quarter you turned age 27, then you would need three years of work out of the six-year period ending with the quarter you became disabled.
In the quarter you turn age 31 or later	Work during five years out of the 10-year period ending with the quarter.

 

The following table shows examples of how much work you need to meet the “duration of work test” if you become disabled at various selected ages. For the “duration of work” test, your work does not have to fall within a certain period of time.

NOTE: This table does not cover all situations.

Examples of work needed for the “duration of work” test
If you become disabled…	Then you generally need:
Before age 28	1.5 years of work
Age 30	2 years
Age 34	3 years
Age 38	4 years
Age 42	5 years
Age 44	5.5 years
Age 46	6 years
Age 48	6.5 years
Age 50	7 years
Age 52	7.5 years
Age 54	8 years
Age 56	8.5 years
Age 58	9 years
Age 60	9.5 years

 

Generally if you have not worked enough quarters to qualify for Social Security benefits, you are out of luck. However I recently spoke with a client who was only three credits short of meeting the requirements and due to her illness she met the physical requirements of disability. Luckily she was in a position to be able to return to work for a few months as a consultant, making her own hours, in order to earn the last three quarters she needed to qualify for benefits. This was a unique situation but it shows that in certain circumstances, if all of the other criteria for disability are met there is still an opportunity to earn the missing quarters and qualify for benefits. 

 

I represent many clients who have become totally disabled, either as a result of a work related injury or a chronic illness.  Please contact me for a free consultation if you have questions about social security disability.