What are the earning requirements to receive disability benefits?

by Apr 25, 2015

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Disability benefits are crucial to the lives of millions of people in the U.S. These benefits help people maintain some sense of individuality and allow recipients to get the things they need when they cannot work and earn an income.

However, not every person with a serious condition will qualify for all the different types of benefits available. For example, if you want to pursue Social Security disability benefits, you must meet certain earning requirements in order to be eligible in the first place.

There are two tests that you must meet in order to receive disability benefits. Both are job-related and have to do with making sure you have worked enough and recently enough to qualify for coverage.

The first test is called the recent work test. The Social Security Administration determines whether you have worked recently enough to qualify by calculating your age at the time you became disabled and the amount of time you worked in the years preceding the disability.

The second test is called the duration of work test. This test is used to determine whether you have paid enough into the Social Security system to collect benefits. Essentially, the older you are when you become disabled, the longer you need to have worked and paid into the system. 

These earning requirements are just one piece of the eligibility process. There are many other pieces that must also be considered and in place to collect SSDI. Some may seem fairly simple while others can be much more subjective and complicated.

However, because of how consuming a serious ailment can be, any added complications can be too much to handle on your own. Whether you need to assess your eligibility for disability benefits, appeal a ruling or just apply for benefits, you can find it very beneficial to work through these processes with the support and guidance of an attorney.