How Do You Collect Social Security Benefits Without Having Paid Full Points?
Social security pays you a set amount of money per month once you reach retirement age. The amount of money that you receive is based on the amount that you paid into the system and the number of years worked. For each year of work, you are awarded a maximum of 4 points, and it takes 40 points to be eligible to receive social security benefits. The only way to receive benefits without acquiring the full number of points is to qualify based on disability. Obtain a letter from your physician indicating that you have an illness that will prevent you from working for at least one year, or that will result in death. Run the “duration of work” test to see if you have worked enough years to qualify for social security disability benefits. The working years requirement ranges from 1 1/2 years of work for those under age 28 to 9 1/2 years of work for those age 60 or above. Refer to the Social Security Disability website, listed in the Resources, and locate your exact age. Use the “recent work t
