Short Work History? Here's How That Could Affect Your Social Security Benefit.

You pay into Social Security your entire career. You watch 6.2% of your earnings come out of your paycheck before it even makes its way to your bank account, so you expect to get a decent chunk of that back in retirement, but that’s not always the case.

Those with short work histories may not qualify for Social Security or may receive only a small benefit. Here’s a closer look at how this could affect you.

You need at least 10 years of work history to qualify for retirement benefits

You must earn 40 work credits to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. A credit is defined as $1,890 in earnings in 2026, and you can earn a maximum of four credits per year. The definition of a credit changes annually, but it remains low enough that even many part-time workers should be able to earn their credits.

If you have not earned your 40 credits, you will not be able to claim a retirement benefit. However, if you’re married, you may still be eligible for a spousal benefit on your partner’s work record.

You might get a smaller benefit than expected

The Social Security Administration looks at your 35 highest-earning years when calculating your benefit. You can qualify with a shorter work history, but you’ll have zero-income years factored in, which will shrink your checks. Even one of these can cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime.

Working at least 35 years before applying can help you avoid this, and there’s no harm in working even longer if you’re able to do so. If you earn more now than you did in the past, your more recent, higher-earning years will slowly start to push your earlier, lower-earning years out of your benefit calculation, resulting in larger checks.

Your spousal benefit might be larger than your retirement benefit if you’re married

Married individuals may be eligible for a spousal benefit if their partner qualifies for retirement benefits. However, you cannot claim a spousal benefit and a retirement benefit at the same time. The Social Security Administration will only give you the larger of the two, and you cannot claim a spousal benefit until your partner has signed up.

If you have a short work history and only qualify for a small retirement benefit, there’s a good chance that your spousal benefit will be larger than your retirement benefit. You may decide to claim your retirement benefit first so your partner can delay theirs for a few months or years. This increases their benefit. Then, when they sign up, you can switch to a spousal benefit.

Talk over your options with your partner, and make sure you’re on the same page about who will claim when. If you have any questions about your benefits, contact the Social Security Administration for clarification.