Читать книгу Social Security For Dummies - Peterson Jonathan, Jonathan Peterson - Страница 30

Under the rules, you get credits toward eligibility by earning certain amounts of money. Most workers pick up the necessary credits without even thinking about it. Generally, 40 credits — which you can pick up in ten years of covered employment — does the trick. By covered employment, I mean a job in which you and your employer pay Social Security taxes. (If you’re in business for yourself, you have to pay both the employer and employee shares.) These days, almost all jobs are covered. (For information on which jobs aren’t covered, see the nearby sidebar “Which jobs aren’t covered.”)

People born before 1929 need fewer than 40 credits to qualify.

In 2020, Social Security awards you one credit for every $1,410 in earnings, and you can get up to a maximum of four credits per year. (The dollar amount typically rises each year to reflect growth in wages.) For example, say you earned $5,640 in 2020. That means you earned a total of four credits ($1,410 × 4 = $5,640). Now, say you earned $100,000 in 2020. You still earn a total of four credits, because four credits is the yearly maximum no matter how much money you make.