Social Security | Up North Retirement
The Social Security Administration provides financial protection to the American people. Social Security benefits are provided to people who are retirement age, disabled, or survivors of a deceased veteran. Social Security is also one of the most successful anti-poverty programs in American history.
You can receive Social Security benefits if you are age 62 or older and you have paid appropriately into the program. If your family members are to qualify based on your work records, you must name yourself on their application. If you are receiving retirement or disability benefits, your spouse may qualify too if they are age 62 or older or under age 62 and caring for a child who is entitled to benefits on your work record.
If you have enough work credits to receive Social Security benefits, but have not filed a claim, your divorced spouse may also qualify for benefits if he or she was married to you for at least 10 years prior to the divorce and has been divorced from you for at least 2 years.
There are many other Social Security qualifications, but you can contact us to learn more about them. You can also visit the Social Security website for more information, but we know it can be much easier to speak directly to a person.
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The amount of work needed to earn a work credit changes from year to year, but in 2021, you could earn one work credit for each $1,470 in wages or self-employment income. Therefore, $5,880 in earnings would equate to four credits earned in a given year. Generally, 40 credits are required to receive disability benefits and 20 of those credits must have been earned within the last ten years.
What Is A Disability?
A disability is a health condition or injury that prevents you from engaging in work. Social Security will only pay for total disability, so no benefits are payable for partial or short-term disabilities. To be qualified as disabled according to Social Security, you must prove that you cannot work because of your medical condition and that your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least a year.
