What If I Don't Have Enough Work Credits for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Social Security provides two types of disability benefits for people who can't work: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Eligibility for SSDI is determined based on how many work credits you have. You’ll need to have a certain amount of work credits by the date your disability began in order to qualify for SSDI benefits—if not, then you can’t get SSDI benefits no matter how serious your medical condition is.

The good news is that you may be eligible for SSI even if you aren’t covered by SSDI, but you’ll still need to show that you meet the income and asset limits for SSI to get benefits. While these distinctions can be confusing, it’s a good idea to learn some of the basics before you start your application for disability benefits.

What Is a Work Credit?

SSDI is run as an insurance program for workers, and “work credits” are the SSDI equivalent of an insurance premium. SSDI is funded by Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) taxes that come out of your paycheck (or by self-employment taxes if you work for yourself). So as long as you’re earning money and paying taxes, you’ll be covered by SSDI if you become disabled.

The amount of money required to earn a work credit changes every year. In 2026, one work credit represents $1,890 in earned income.

What Happens If You Don’t Have Enough Work Credits for Social Security Disability Insurance?

If you stop working (and, by extension, contributing into the SSDI program) you’ll stop earning work credits and eventually won’t be able to get disability benefits from SSDI. In Social Security lingo, you’ll have a remote “date last insured.” Your date last insured is when your SSDI coverage expires, and you must show that your disability began before that date in order to qualify for SSDI benefits. (Think of it like car insurance—if you stop paying your premiums in March and you get into an accident on April 1, the insurer won’t approve your claim.)

SSDI benefits work in a similar way. If your date last insured is on March 31 and you’re in an accident that causes a traumatic brain injury on April 1, you can’t qualify for SSDI. The “grace period” between not paying your premiums (meaning working) and when your insurance runs out is a lot longer for SSDI than it is for private insurance, however. Generally, your date last insured is about five years from when you last worked. But because the income needed to get one work credit is fairly low, you can get work credits doing part-time or seasonal work.

How Much Work Credits Is “Not Enough”?

You can earn up to four work credits per year in order to remain insured under SSDI. You can spread out these earnings over the course of one year—$1,890 per quarter—or you can earn all four credits ($7,560) in a single quarter. Ultimately, how much money you make is more important than what quarter you earned it in. But if you’ve earned less than four work credits total in a year, you won’t have enough work credits to maintain coverage under SSDI.

How Can You Get More Work Credits?

Unsurprisingly, you can get more work credits by working more. You don’t have to work full-time in order to get additional work credits, but if you’re applying for disability benefits, be careful not to bump up against Social Security’s substantial gainful activity threshold ($1,690 per month in 2026). Earning more than that amount signals to Social Security that your condition might not be disabling and puts your claim at risk.

How Can You Get Disability Without Work Credits?

If you don’t have enough work credits by the time your disability begins, SSDI is unfortunately out of the question. But you may be eligible for SSI benefits instead.

SSI is a needs-based disability program available to people with limited income and assets. You don’t need to have work credits in order to get SSI benefits, but you’ll need to show that you have less than $2,000 in the bank ($3,000 for couples). Social Security won’t count all sources of income towards the limit, however.

Because you can work up to a certain amount while also receiving SSI benefits, you can earn work credits towards SSDI while you’re currently receiving SSI. If you get enough work credits to qualify for SSDI, Social Security will notify you (usually during a redetermination review), and you’ll receive back due benefits for any months that you were eligible for SSDI but didn’t receive payment.

What to Do Immediately After Learning You Don’t Have Enough Work Credits

Most people don’t find out that they don’t have enough work credits for SSDI until after they’ve already filed for disability benefits. When you first submit your application, Social Security will run an “earnings query,” which is a computer program that uses your tax data from the IRS to determine whether you’re fully insured for SSDI and when your date last insured is. If your date last insured is in the future, the agency will then send your file to a claims examiner to decide whether you meet the medical requirements for disability.

But if your date last insured is remote (or you were never insured for SSDI) and your alleged onset date is after your date last insured, you’ll receive notice of a technical denial in the mail. If you think Social Security calculated your work credits incorrectly, you can appeal the denial (and be prepared to provide evidence of, say, amended tax returns and other documentation showing that you paid more in payroll taxes than the IRS thinks you did).

If you’re worried that you don’t have enough work credits for SSDI, it’s a smart idea to call your local Social Security field office before you apply and ask if you qualify financially. If they tell you no but you do meet the financial requirements for SSI, you can apply for that benefit instead.

One option for people who don’t have enough work credits is to return to work on a part-time basis and try to earn more. This can be a wise move if you have a medical condition that isn’t quite bad enough to completely keep you from working yet, but will likely get worse down the road. Many people aren’t aware that the definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is different from Social Security’s, so you may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation from your employer to help you do your job while also earning work credits.