The Social Security Administration administers retirement and SSDI benefits. The first ones are for workers who paid taxes and filed for benefits at 62 or later. Social Security Disability Insurance is for those who have a qualifying disability and have paid enough taxes too.
For example, if you would like to get retirement benefits, you must have worked for at least ten years at 62. In this way, you have had enough time to collect the 40 necessary work credits SSA requests.
However, you may not have had enough time to work for ten years if you have a disability. That is why Social Security has different rules depending on the age you are to claim SSDI disability benefits.
What is the five-year rule for SSDI?
If you are between 31 and 42 years old, you may want to know about this 5-year rule. Those workers in this age range will have to make sure they have worked for at least five years in the last ten years before their disability started.
Therefore, you must have had time to earn 20 credits. This is the number of Social Security credits you will need to get SSDI checks from ages 31-42. Obviously, the older you are, the higher the number of work credits you will need.
People with a disability who are 44 years old will need 6 more months to get Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. So, they will need 5 years and 6 months to qualify.
Six years of work is what you will need if you are 46 years old and have a disability. It seems that every two years of age older, you need 6 more months to get disability benefits.
How many years of work do I need to get SSDI at 50?
According to Social Security, a person who is 50 years old and has a disability needs 7 years of work. In total, you will need to have earned 28 work credits in those years.
#DYK the Social Security Disability Insurance #SSDI and Supplemental Security Income #SSI programs provide financial assistance to people with disabilities. Learn more here: https://t.co/b6T5mqsEQB #DisabilityPrideMonth
— Social Security (@SocialSecurity) July 26, 2023
Even if it is more challenging since you need more years of work to get SSDI as you are older, it seems to be easier to qualify. Apparently, the percentage of approval is higher among older applicants
A person who is 60 years old will need 9 years and 6 months of work to cash SSDI. That is about 38 credits. So, it is almost the same as those seniors at 62 who claim retirement benefits (10 years or 40 work credits per SSA).
Apply as soon as possible for SSDI because it may take longer than expected to qualify. Payments can be up to $3,627 in 2023. But on average checks are worth less than 1,500 dollars.