Two independent tests
To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance you must (1) be insured for disability — enough work credits, earned recently enough — and (2) meet the Social Security Act’s definition of disability. You must also be under full retirement age and file an application.
2026 work credits
You earn one Social Security credit for each $1,890 in covered wages or self-employment income, up to four credits per year ($7,560). Most workers age 31 or older must satisfy the 20/40 rule: 20 credits in the 10 years ending with the year disability began, plus a lifetime duration-of-work test that rises with age (40 credits / 10 years at 62).
| Age at onset | Credits generally needed | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Before 24 | 6 credits in the 3 years before onset | 1.5 years |
| 24–30 | Credits for half the time since age 21 | Varies |
| 31–42 | Generally 20 credits (20/40 rule) | 5 of last 10 |
| 44 | 22 credits | 5.5 years |
| 46 | 24 credits | 6 years |
| 48 | 26 credits | 6.5 years |
| 50 | 28 credits | 7 years |
| 52 | 30 credits | 7.5 years |
| 54 | 32 credits | 8 years |
| 56 | 34 credits | 8.5 years |
| 58 | 36 credits | 9 years |
| 60 | 38 credits | 9.5 years |
| 62 to full retirement age | 40 credits | 10 years |
SSA tables are estimates and do not cover every situation. Statutory blindness has no recent-work test.
The medical standard
SSA pays only for total disability. You must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable impairment expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. 2026 SGA: $1,690 per month, or $2,830 if you are statutorily blind.
Five-step sequential evaluation
Step 1
Are you working at SGA?
If you are working and earning over the substantial gainful activity level — $1,690 a month in 2026 ($2,830 if you are statutorily blind) — SSA generally will not find you disabled. SSA pays only for total disability, not partial or short-term disability.
Step 2
Is your condition severe?
Your medically determinable impairment must significantly limit basic work activities (walking, sitting, lifting, standing, concentrating, remembering) and last or be expected to last at least 12 months, or be expected to result in death.
Step 3
Does it meet or equal a listing?
SSA’s Listing of Impairments (the Blue Book) describes conditions severe enough to prevent gainful activity regardless of age, education, or work experience. Meeting or medically equaling a listing can result in an award at step 3.
Step 4
Can you do your past work?
If you do not meet a listing, SSA assesses your residual functional capacity (RFC) and decides whether you can still perform your past relevant work as you actually did it or as it is generally performed.
Step 5
Can you do any other work?
SSA considers your RFC, age, education, and work experience to decide whether other work exists in significant numbers in the national economy. If not, you are found disabled. Medical-vocational guidelines (the “grids”) often apply at this step.
What this campaign does not do
We cannot declare you disabled, bind SSA, or promise a monthly amount. Your Primary Insurance Amount is computed from your lifetime earnings record. You can request a screening from this campaign even if you later file on your own.