Social Security Credits: People who work in the United States and are planning to retire need to earn a certain number of work credits to qualify for Social Security benefits. These credits are based on your job and how much Social Security tax you pay while working. In order to receive retirement benefits, you must have at least 40 credits. Most people earn these credits by working for about 10 years.
“The number of credits does not affect the amount of benefits you receive. We use the number of credits you have accumulated to determine your eligibility for retirement or disability benefits, Medicare and your family’s eligibility for survivor benefits,” reports theSSA on its website.
April 2025 Social Security Payments: What’s the Maximum Benefit You Can Get?
If you want to check your Social Security status or see how many credits you have, you can make an online account called “My Social Security.” This account lets you look at your earnings history and future benefits. For people over 60 who can’t use the internet, the SSA sends a paper statement three months before their birthday.
Here are the facts:
If you are changing your direct deposit information, the Social Security Administration will continue conducting anti-fraud checks in-person and online.
The Social Security Administration has rolled out several new anti-fraud measures to protect our…
— Social Security (@SocialSecurity) April 9, 2025
Social Security Credits: How You Earn It?
Since 1978, workers can earn up to four credits each year. How many credits you earn depends on how much money you make from your job or from self-employment. The amount needed to earn one credit changes each year.
“The amount of earnings needed to earn a credit may change each year. In 2025, you will earn one Social Security and Medicare credit for every $1,810 of covered earnings each year. You must earn $7,240 to earn the maximum of four credits per year,” explains the SSA on its website.
You can’t get more than four credits in one year, even if you make more money. And while you only need 40 credits to qualify for retirement, it’s smart to keep working and earn more if you can. This won’t increase your number of credits, but it could help increase your monthly payments, since the SSA looks at your average earnings over your whole working life to decide how much to pay you each month when you retire.
Social Security Payment on April 23, 2025: What Retirees Will Receive with COLA Increase
How much will Retirees get paid in 2025?
How much money you get from Social Security after you retire depends on how long you worked and how much you earned during those years. It also depends on the age when you choose to start getting your benefits. If you retire early at age 62, your payment in 2025 could be about $2,831 a month.
But if you wait until full retirement age, which is 67, you could get up to $3,822 each month. If you wait even longer, until age 70, your payment can grow even more. In 2025, the most you can get at age 70 is $5,108 a month.
