How To Apply For Disability if You Don’t Have Enough Work Credits

Art: Robin Mead

Did someone tell you that you can’t apply for disability because you haven’t worked enough? Or you don’t have enough work credits? Or you waited too long?

Maybe this is true. Maybe it’s not.

Twenty One Ways You Can Still Qualify

Check Your Date Last Insured – Was there ever a time in the past when you had enough work credits? Find out!

Check and Correct Your Earnings Record – If your earnings record is incorrect and you fix it, in some cases, you can magically become eligible!

Correct Your Past Taxes – If your past taxes were incorrect and you fix them, in some cases, you can magically become eligible!

Get Extra Credits – Sometimes people are just one or two credits short. Or just half a credit! Figure out your options.

Figure Out How Close You Are to Qualifying – Here’s the formula for calculating Date Last Insured. Figure out if yours is correct, and how close you are.

Go Back in Time Before Your Credits Expired – If there was a time in the past when you did have enough credits, but you waited to long to apply, you may be able to get approved by proving that you were disabled in the past.

Reopen an Earlier Claim – If you applied for disability in the past, and you did not go to a hearing, you may be able to get your previous case reopened.

Use Your Parent’s Work Credits – Does not matter what age you are now. If you were under 22 when you first became disabled, you may be eligible for Disabled Adult Child Benefits.

Use Your Parent’s Work Credits Despite Marriage – Many people are told that once you are married you will never be able to get Disabled Adult Child benefits. This is not always true. Scroll down on this page for information on marriage.

Get Widow or Ex-Widow Benefits – You may be able to use the work credits from your past spouse. Even if you were not married when they died. (Note: Starts at age 60 for most people, but age 50 if you are disabled)

Ignore What Social Security Says Right Now – It does not matter if Social Security says that you are not eligible right now. You want to find out if you were eligible EVER.

If you are under 30, check again – Many people are told that they can only qualify if they worked for at least five years. However, this is not true for people who are under thirty.

If you are over 30, check again – Ignore your current age. Look at how old you were when you FIRST became disabled. Now check again.

Be Poor – If you are poor, you can apply for SSI instead of SSDI. No work credits are required, and you can apply even if you have never worked a day in your life.

Be “Rich” – If someone told you that you can’t get SSI because you have too much money or own too much stuff, check this page.

SSI is not as good as SSDI – Don’t give up too easily. Try other options on this page first.

Use Your Grandparent’s Work Credits – If you first became disabled before the age of 22, you may be able to receive benefits off of your grandparents work credits under certain very rare and specific circumstances.

Apply for Other Forms of Disability – Private disability, state disability, veterans, life insurance, government employees, disability housing, disability aides, etc.

If You Are Married to Someone With Income – Tricky situation. Sometimes there are options.

SUCCESS STORIES

Cindy Amends Her Taxes and Corrects Her Earnings Record

Sage Reopens His Old Case

Michelle Gets Approved with Expired Work Credits

Thanks for Reading

🌷 This page is part of the free online guide: The Sleepy Girl Guide to Social Security Disability 

🌷 Art on this page by Robin Mead and Elizabeth D’Angelo.

🌷 Page Updated: 8/1/19

What Do You Think?

🌷 Please comment below with stories, ideas, questions or suggestions.

🌷 Please let us know if any links on this page stop working.

🌷 If you found this page helpful, please share it with others by pressing one of these magic little buttons: