Does everyone get Social Security? No. Still, American workers who will not qualify for Social Security retirement benefits are relatively rare. It’s important to know if you are one of them, so you can secure other sources of income or determine whether it’s possible for you to become eligible. What follows are eight of the most common categories of workers who lack Social Security eligibility and are thus are not entitled to benefits.
1. Workers With Too Few Social Security Credits
Can you get Social Security if you never worked? No, not based on your own record. (You may be eligible as a spouse, ex-spouse, or survivor, however.) To collect Social Security retirement benefits based on your own record, you must have performed enough work. The Social Security Administration (SSA) defines enough work as earning 40 Social Security credits. An individual receives one credit for each $1,730 in income in 2024, and they can earn a maximum of four credits per year. Forty credits are roughly equal to 10 years of work.