Types of Social Security Benefits

Social Security is a social welfare program that helps to ensure people save adequately for retirement. While you are working, part of your paycheck is taxed and that money goes into Social Security. The tax money is then used to pay benefits to: People who already have retired People who are disabled Survivors of workers who have died Dependents of beneficiaries

How To Qualify for Social Security Benefits

When you work and pay Social Security taxes, you earn "credits" toward Social Security benefits. The number of credits you need to get retirement benefits depends on when you were born. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need 40 credits (10 years of work) before you qualify for Social Security. No retirement benefits can be paid until you have the required number of credits.

When You Can Receive Social Security Retirement Benefits

You must be at "full retirement age" to receive full Social Security benefits. Below is a table to determine whether you are able to receive full benefits:

Year Born
1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943-1954 1955 1956 1957

"Full Retirement Age"

65 65 and 2 months 65 and 4 months 65 and 6 months 65 and 8 months 65 and 10 months 66 66 and 2 months 66 and 4 months 66 and 6 months

1958 1959 1960 and on

66 and 8 months 66 and 10 months 67

You can get Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but if you retire before your full retirement age, your benefits will be permanently reduced based on your age.

Social Security Benefits for People who are Disabled

Even if you haven't reached retirement, if you meet the work credit requirements and are considered disabled under Social Security rules, you can receive benefits before your full retirement age. Those benefits will only be slightly reduced from what you would have received if you worked until your full retirement age.

Social Security Benefits for Survivors of Workers Who Have Died

Although many people think of Social Security only as a retirement program, surviving spouses and their minor or disabled children are typically entitled to the Social Security benefits of deceased workers. The rules for these benefits differ from the normal rules and the number of years the deceased worker needs to have worked depends on their age when they died. The younger the deceased was, the fewer years they need to have worked.

Social Security Benefits for Dependents of Beneficiaries

Spouses and dependents of a qualified worker may be entitled to receive benefits as well. This is based upon the worker's earning record and it is available regardless of whether you actually depend on the qualified worker for support. Most of us are aware that Social Security may be available to pay us disability benefits if we become unable to work or function because of a medical problem or problems. However, most people are unaware that SSA actually has many types of Social Security disability benefits. The type of benefits that a person may qualify for depends on many factors such as the type of disability, the disabled person's past work history, or the relationship of the disabled person to the person who did work. The following is a summary of some of the types of disability benefits available and basic qualifications for the benefits: 1. Disability Income or Insurance Benefits, also called SSDI or DIB, may be payable to a person who has worked at least 5 years out of the last 10 years and now is unable to do any work because of severe medical conditions [impairments] that have or will leave the person unable to work for at least 12 continuous months. 2. Supplemental Security Income, also called SSI, may be payable to a disabled adult person who is unable to work because of severe medical conditions [impairments] who do not qualify for SSDI because they have no past work, not enough past work, or past work that is too long ago. This benefit is affected by income of others in the household.

3. Supplemental Security Income- disabled child, also called SSI- DC, may be payable to a child who meets the disability requirements for children who are under the age of 18 at the time of application. These benefits are subject to reduction based on the income of parents in the same household. 4. Benefits for the Blind, may be payable to a person who has no better than 20/200 vision in his best eye. This benefit is an advantage to some people over regular disability because the claimant can perform some work and still qualify. 5. Disabled Spouse/Ex Spouse benefits may be payable to a spouse or a currently unmarried ex-spouse whose husband or wife worked and contributed into the SSA system even if the spouse or ex-spouse did not work. The spouse or ex-spouse must meet minimal marriage length requirements and be at least age 50 with a disability that prevents work or age 60 without a disability. 6. Mother or Father's Benefits may be payable to the mother or father of a disabled person's child who has care and custody of that disabled person's minor child under the age of 15. This benefit is an addition to benefits for the child and the disabled person. 7. Disabled Adult Child Benefits may be payable to the disabled child of a disabled or retired person if the child became disabled before age 21 and still lives with the disabled person or is dependent on the disabled person for support. 8. Parent's benefits may be payable to the parent of a disabled person who has died, and that parent depended on the support of the disabled person before the death and is not otherwise qualified for other higher benefits on their own. These are of course minimal requirements and other rules and requirements must be met. A qualified Social Security attorney can help you determine which, if any, benefits you might qualify to receive to help you through a difficult period and can help you coordinate related benefits through the Veteran's Administration, workers' compensation, insurance companies and employee disability plans There are several kinds of disability benefits for which a person may be eligible. The medical rules are the same for each of these programs you must be found disabled as defined by Social Securitys regulations. The non-medical requirements are different for each program. The five main programs are: Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) () () / () ()

Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB)

You are only eligible for these benefits if you have paid a certain amount of Social Security tax over a period of time. Your prior work history will determine when DIB coverage starts and when it ends. Disability Insurance Benefits is, as the name implies, an insurance program. A worker has a certain percentage of his or her earnings taken out of each paycheck. These withholdings are pooled together with other workers earnings and used to pay out on disability claims. To get coverage, you must have worked at least twenty calendar quarters (five years) within the last forty calendar quarters (10 years) before your disability began. (There is a different rule for people whose disability began before age 30). To be entitled to DIB, you must prove that your disability began while disability insurance was in force. As for your benefits amount, the longer you have worked and the more you earned the larger the benefit amount you are entitled to if you become disabled. There are no household income restrictions on a DIB claim. So, even if your spouse is still working and financially able to support you, you are entitled to DIB benefits if you are disabled.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

SSI is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people who have little or no income. SSI benefits are not based on your prior work or a family member's prior work. To get SSI, you must have limited income and resources. To be eligible for SSI, you must be found disabled under the same rules used for DIB, or be blind, or over age 65. You must also have very little household income or property to be financially eligible for SSI. Even if you are found to be disabled under Social Securitys regulations, if your household income exceeds a certain maximum level you will not qualify for SSI benefits. For a disabled person with little or no past work experience whose spouse is able to care for the family financially, this is a reminder that SSI benefits were created to afford minimal economic relief to disabled people who would not otherwise receive the necessary financial support they need.

Childs Disability Benefits (CDB)

Childs Disability Benefits is a type of SSI program. It provides financial support to children age 17 or younger who are disabled. Social Security uses different rules for determining disability in a childs claim than in an adult claim. To be found disabled, the child must have a physical or mental condition that causes marked and severe functional limitations. As with SSI claims, to be eligible for Childs Disability Benefits the parents household income must not exceed a certain maximum level. Hoglund, Chwialkowski & Mrozik, PLLC is one of only a few law firms in Minnesota that will handle Childs Social Security Benefits claims. Back to top

Disabled Widow/Widower Benefits (DWB)

This is a special disability program for certain widows and widowers, based on the Social

Security tax paid by her or his deceased spouse. To qualify for Disabled Widow/Widower Benefits, you must be between the ages of 50 and 59, and have been married for at least 10 years to the person who was covered under Social Security at the time of his or her death, and show that you are under a disability. You must prove that your disability began within seven years of your spouses death.

Disabled Adult Child Benefits (DAC)

Disabled Adult Child Benefits generally may be paid to a child age 18 or older who became disabled before age 22, and to a full-time elementary or secondary school student under age 19. If the parent is alive, he or she must be entitled to retirement or disability benefits. If deceased, the parent must have worked long enough under Social Security for survivor's benefits to be paid. A child age 18 or older may be entitled to Social Security benefits based on his or her disability when a parent who has worked long enough under the program is entitled to disability benefits or is deceased. The criteria used to evaluate the disability are the same as those used to evaluate disability in adults. The child must be unable to work because of a medical condition that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months, or is expected to result in death. The child's disability must have begun before age 22