Applying to the Social Security Administration for a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payment is possible for those United States citizens who meet certain requirements. This type of payment is intended for citizens who can no longer work, but it is necessary to have worked to get it in most cases.
Regardless of how old we are when we apply for the Disability payment, the Social Security Administration will require a minimum number of years of work. And those years worked translate into work credits. If we reach the minimum number of work credits we will get the Social Security payment, although we may not get a very large check in that case.
How many work credits do I need for Disability Benefit (SSDI)?
As we have already mentioned, depending on the applicant’s age, the number of credits will be more or less. In addition, we must also keep in mind that the credits must have been earned by a certain date and not at any point in life.
In the case of being under 24 years old, the citizen with a disability must have earned 6 work credits in the three years prior to applying for the Disability Benefit. If they do not have this minimum number of credits, it is impossible to apply for this benefit.
On the other hand, Americans between the ages of 24 and 31 must have earned about 12 credits in the last 6 years. Each full year worked is 4 credits, which means that we have to work half of the established time.
Finally, citizens 31 years of age or older must have achieved 20 work credits in the last 10 years prior to applying for the Disability payment. This means 5 years of work, so we are also looking at half the time prior to applying to the Social Security Administration.
The maximum check of $3,822 is not for all of these cases, as it would be the minimum payment they can get. If we have more work credits, the payment will be higher, so it is a good idea to get more work credits when we can, although it is true that in some cases this is impossible before applying for the Disability Benefit.