WHAT IS A "QUARTER OF COVERAGE"?

The Social Security disability program is really a government-sponsored disability insurance program.  You get covered by working and having Social Security (FICA) taxes deducted from your pay.  However, you are not immediately insured when you begin working and you may stop being insured after you stop working.

A "quarter of coverage" is the basic unit used to determine whether a worker is insured under the Social Security disability program, or Title II. Most adults, depending on age, need 20 quarters of coverage to be covered by Social Security.

So, what is a "quarter of coverage"?  You will hear these informally called "Social Security credits,"  or "work credits," too. 

Until 1978, a "quarter of coverage" was awarded to workers who earned $50 or more in a calendar quarter.  After 1978, the amount of wages required to earn one quarter of coverage changed automatically each year based on the National Average Wage Index.

In 2015 you must earn at least $1,220 in a calendar quarter (3 months) to receive one quarter of coverage.  However, you cannot obtain more than four quarters of coverage per year, no matter how much you earn.

To be insured (covered by Social Security disability insurance), an individual must have accumulated the minimum number of Quarters of Coverage.

In 2014, there were 151,092,000 workers covered by Social Security disability insurance (called Title II benefits).

Individuals who have never worked, or who do not have enough Quarters of Coverage for SSDI, may be able to apply for SSI benefits, which does not require a work history.

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