Earnings needed for one credit
| Year | One credit | Four credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | $1,970 | $7,880 |
| 2026 | $1,890 | $7,560 |
| 2025 | $1,810 | $7,240 |
| 2024 | $1,730 | $6,920 |
| 2023 | $1,640 | $6,560 |
| 2022 | $1,510 | $6,040 |
| 2021 | $1,470 | $5,880 |
| 2020 | $1,410 | $5,640 |
| 2019 | $1,360 | $5,440 |
| 2018 | $1,320 | $5,280 |
| 2017 | $1,300 | $5,200 |
| 2016 | $1,260 | $5,040 |
Why public workers come up short
About one in four state and local government workers holds a job that does not pay into Social Security, including most teachers in states such as California, Texas, Ohio and Illinois, and many police officers and firefighters. Their years in that job earn no credits. If they reach retirement with 30 or 35 credits from summer jobs and work before their public career, they get no Social Security retirement benefit on their own record at all.
The gap is often small. Five or ten credits is two or three years of modest covered pay, and you only need $7,560 in a year to earn all four 2026 credits. A summer job, part-time tutoring for a private company, or a few years of work after retiring from the pension plan can close it. Since the Social Security Fairness Act ended the Windfall Elimination Provision, the benefit you unlock is paid in full on top of your pension.
After you reach 40
Forty credits makes you eligible. The amount depends on your 35 highest years of covered earnings, so more years of covered work keep raising it. See the combined picture in the pension and Social Security calculator, and check what your spouse’s record pays with the spousal and survivor calculator.
Questions
How many credits do I need for Social Security?
Forty credits for a retirement benefit on your own record. You can earn up to four a year, so 40 credits takes at least 10 years of work, and the years do not have to be in a row.
How much do I have to earn for a credit in 2026?
$1,890 of covered earnings buys one credit in 2026, and $7,560 for the year buys the maximum of four. In 2027 the amount rises to $1,970 per credit.
Do my teaching years count?
Only if Social Security tax was withheld. In states and districts where teachers are not covered, those years earn no credits. Summer jobs, work before teaching, a second job and work after retirement all count if they were covered.
Do I lose credits if I stop working?
No. Credits stay on your record for life. Once you have 40, you qualify for a retirement benefit, and any extra years of covered work can still raise the amount.
What if I have fewer than 40 credits?
You cannot get a retirement benefit on your own record, but you may still get a spousal or survivor benefit on your husband’s or wife’s record, which no longer has the Government Pension Offset cut.