How Much Work Qualifies You for SSDI in Chicago, Illinois & Indiana?
To be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you need to have worked and paid into the Social Security system. The simplest rule is that you need 40 credits, which Social Security issues based on your earnings over the years.
But what does that mean?
The Chicago disability lawyers at Nash Disability Law will explain it on the page. It’s not quite as simple as just saying you have 40 work credits.
Exactly how many work credits you need to have a chance at disability benefits depends on your age and how much you paid into the program over the years. It also depends on how recently you earned the credits.
If you don’t have enough recent credits, Social Security may deny your claim. Or they will say you could qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which don’t require a work history, instead. For a full picture of both programs, see the complete disability qualification requirements in Illinois.
Social Security Disability benefits exist to provide financial relief when health problems stop you from earning a living. They help you face mounting medical bills and daily expenses you can’t cover because you can’t work.
For SSDI benefits, it’s important to realize that this is one reason why you paid into Social Security with every paycheck before you got sick. You deserve insurance against health disruptions to your ability to work. This is not a free handout.
But to receive benefits, you have to prove you earned them.
This is where work credits come in. As it does across the U.S., Social Security uses these credits in Chicago and throughout Illinois and Indiana to determine whether you’re eligible for disability benefits.
Once you meet this economic eligibility, you have to prove your medical issues themselves qualify, which is an entire process of its own.
The work credit math can be complicated. At Nash Disability Law, all we do is Social Security Disability, and we can help you understand your work credits and eligibility.
We’ve helped thousands of people through this process. You pay no attorney fees until you win your benefits.
WE’VE HELPED MORE PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO AREA WIN BENEFITS THAN ANY OTHER LAW FIRM.
How Do I Earn Social Security Disability Work Credits?
Work credits tell Social Security how much you contributed to the SSDI program each year of your working life.
This is a starting point to determine your eligibility for benefits.
You earn work credits when you pay your Social Security taxes.
The earning amount that qualifies as a credit changes over time. As of 2026, you got a work credit for every $1,890 in wages or self-employment income covered by Social Security. You can get up to four credits each year.
You could make more money than the basic amount required to get four credits, but you can’t collect credits faster than four per year. Social Security is looking at more than just your income, but at consistency of your work record.
The credits accumulate over the years. To receive full disability benefits, you generally must have at least 40 credits, half of which you earned in the last 10 years before your disability began. Social Security calls this the “20/40 rule.”
The rule for the last 10 years is Social Security’s way of ensuring you have worked not just enough, but recently enough to get SSDI.
There are some exceptions to the total credits required depending on your age, which we’ll cover below.
If you have questions about your work credits or are worried you may not have enough, Nash Disability Law can help.
We’ve been assisting working people across Chicagoland and beyond for more than 40 years, and we can help you find answers on your Social Security Disability status at no cost to you.
Get a FREE disability claim consultation.
How Does My Age Impact My Social Security Disability Work Credits?
While work credits are based on your income over time, your age when you developed a qualifying impairment also impacts your eligibility.
Social Security requires fewer work credits if your disability strikes at a younger age.
- If you develop a disability before you turn 24, you must have earned at least six work credits in the past three years.
- If your work-stopping health problems start between ages 24 and 31, you will need to have work credits for about half the time between age 21 and the onset of your disability.
- After 31 and up to age 42, you must have worked for at least five years, earning 20 work credits, to be eligible.
- Above those ages but before retirement, Social Security wants to see that you added at least half a year of eligible work every two years until you reached 40 credits and 10 years of work.
Once you hit full retirement age, your disability benefits flip over to retirement benefits. This doesn’t change your monthly benefit payments.
The skilled disability attorneys at Nash Disability Law are ready to help you through these complicated calculations so you can focus on what’s most important: getting benefits you need and managing your health.
