Never worked? You may still qualify for Social Security benefits

Across the U.S., just over 71 million people currently receive Social Security benefits. Primarily, these monthly payments are distributed to retired workers: this group accounts for over two-thirds of all recipients.

How Social Security credits work

To claim Social Security benefits, you typically need to have paid into the Social Security pot. Depending on your annual income, and the number of years you have contributed Social Security taxes, you will earn a certain number of work credits, which help to calculate your total benefit amount.

Each year, a worker who pays into Social Security can receive a maximum of four work credits. The annual earnings needed to earn a credit increase each year, in an attempt to follow a pattern in wages. To claim retirement benefits, you need at least 40 work credits.

In addition to retirement payments, Social Security benefits are also available to Americans who have a qualifying disability. The number of credits required to qualify for this benefit ranges from six to 20, depending on the individual’s age when they became disabled.

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For more information on the work credits required for Social Security eligibility, take a look at this explainer on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) website.

However, if you have not been in work – or have an insufficient employment record – it could still be possible to claim Social Security. One major way to receive benefits is if you are the surviving dependent or spouse of a deceased worker.

Survivor and family benefits

Each month, some of the money collected from workers’ Social Security taxes goes towards the distribution of payments to the survivors of Americans who had paid in or were receiving Social Security benefits.

In addition to survivor benefits, the SSA also offers what’s known as family benefits. Under certain circumstances, the agency makes payments to the spouse or child of a living worker who is entitled to retirement or disability benefits.

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How many Americans get survivor or family benefits?

In 2024, around 11% of Social Security benefits were distributed to the survivors of deceased workers. In total, the amount issued the almost six million survivors was $8.9 billion. Meanwhile, dependents of retired or disabled workers accounted for some 3.7 million beneficiaries, leading to $2.9 billion in payments.

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