SSDI Work Credits: What Illinois Residents Need to Know

Social Security Disability Insurance is not a program anyone can simply apply for and receive. To qualify, you must have worked long enough — and recently enough — under Social Security coverage. The mechanism that tracks this eligibility is the work credit system. For Illinois residents navigating a disability claim, understanding how work credits are earned, counted, and applied is essential before filing a single form.

How Work Credits Are Earned

The Social Security Administration assigns work credits based on your annual earnings. In 2024, you earn one credit for every $1,730 in covered wages or self-employment income, up to a maximum of four credits per year. That threshold adjusts slightly each year to reflect wage inflation.

This means you do not need to work full-time to earn credits — you simply need to report enough covered earnings. However, the maximum is capped at four credits annually, regardless of how much you earn. An Illinois construction worker earning $80,000 per year earns the same four credits as a part-time hospital aide earning $7,000.

Credits accumulate over your entire working life and are permanently recorded by the SSA. They do not expire while you are still working. The challenge arises when you stop working due to disability — that is when the clock starts mattering.

How Many Credits Do You Need?

The SSA applies two separate credit tests to determine SSDI eligibility:

• The Duration Test: You must have worked long enough overall to have earned a baseline number of credits. Most workers need 40 total credits, which represents roughly 10 years of work.
• The Recency Test: You must have worked recently enough before your disability onset. For most applicants over age 31, this means earning 20 credits in the 10 years immediately before becoming disabled — essentially, working at least five of the last ten years.

Younger workers face lower thresholds under a sliding scale. A 28-year-old Illinois resident, for example, may only need 16 credits total with no recency requirement. A 24-year-old may qualify with just 6 credits. The SSA recognizes that younger workers have had less time to accumulate credits through no fault of their own.

There is also an important concept called the Date Last Insured (DLI). This is the date after which you no longer meet the recency test. If you stopped working years before applying, your DLI may have already passed — meaning you must prove your disability began before that date, not just that you are disabled today. This is one of the most overlooked and most damaging issues in late-filed SSDI claims.

Illinois-Specific Considerations for Work History

Illinois workers often have complex employment histories that affect credit calculations in ways that deserve attention:

State and municipal employees in Illinois — including some Chicago Public Schools employees, certain county workers, and state pension system participants — have historically been enrolled in pension systems that opted out of Social Security coverage. If you worked for a covered Illinois employer for most of your career but spent years in a non-covered government position, those non-covered years produced no Social Security work credits. This gap can push you below the threshold, or it can shrink your insured earnings record in ways that reduce your monthly benefit.

Illinois also has a significant gig economy workforce in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Rideshare drivers, delivery workers, and freelancers must report self-employment income accurately and pay self-employment taxes to generate credits. Workers who underreported income to reduce their tax bill may find they have fewer credits on record than their actual work history would suggest.

Seasonal workers in Illinois agriculture, construction, and tourism sectors should also verify their records. If an employer failed to report wages properly — a compliance problem that is not unheard of in these industries — credits may be missing from your Social Security earnings record.

How to Check and Correct Your Work Credits

The SSA maintains an online portal at ssa.gov where you can create a my Social Security account and view your complete earnings history and estimated credit count. Illinois residents should review this record carefully, ideally years before any disability forces the issue.

Common errors include:

• Missing wages from employers who failed to file W-2s correctly
• Earnings attributed to the wrong Social Security number due to clerical errors
• Self-employment income not reported to Social Security
• Name changes after marriage or divorce causing record mismatches
• Wages earned under a different name or number that were never merged into your current record

Correcting errors requires documentation. W-2 forms, tax returns, pay stubs, and employer records can all serve as evidence. The SSA has a formal correction process, but it can take months. If you are already in the application or appeals process, an attorney can help prioritize this issue and submit corrections alongside your claim.

What Happens If You Do Not Have Enough Credits

Failing to meet the work credit requirements does not necessarily mean you have no options. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a parallel disability program that has no work history requirement — it is based entirely on financial need. SSI has strict income and asset limits, but for Illinois residents who lack sufficient SSDI credits, it may be the primary path to federal disability benefits.

Some applicants qualify for both programs simultaneously, a status known as concurrent benefits. SSDI is paid first, and SSI fills the gap if the SSDI benefit falls below the SSI federal benefit rate. Illinois also offers its own supplemental payment on top of the federal SSI amount, administered through the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Additionally, if your disability stems from a condition that developed gradually — spinal stenosis, COPD, diabetes with complications — an attorney may be able to establish an onset date that predates your DLI, effectively resurrecting your insured status on paper even if you filed late.

Work credits are the foundation of any SSDI claim. Before assuming you qualify — or assuming you do not — pull your Social Security earnings record, calculate your DLI, and compare your credit count against the age-based thresholds. A single missed year of credited employment can mean the difference between an approved claim and a denial that requires years of appeals to overcome.

Need Help? If you have questions about your case, call or text 833-657-4812 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

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