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Pension question, United States

How many credits do I need for Social Security?

You need 40 credits to be eligible, you earn up to four credits a year, and in 2026 one credit takes 1,890 dollars of covered earnings, so 40 credits is about ten years of work. Below 40, SSA's own wording is blunt: it cannot pay benefits to you if you do not have enough credits.

  • Source: ssa.gov and irs.gov, read 3 October 2026

What to do next

  1. Count your years of covered work in the United States.
  2. List the other countries you worked in, because an agreement may add their years.
  3. Run our free check to see which of those countries may hold a pension in your name.

Check your own working life for free

Tell us where you worked. The free check shows which countries may hold a pension for you, and which can be ruled out and why. No sign in, no charge.

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Questions people also ask

Can years in another country help?

If you have at least six US credits, SSA can count your coverage in an agreement country toward the US threshold and pay a partial benefit sized to the share of your career completed in the United States.

  • Source: ssa.gov and irs.gov, read 3 October 2026

Do you give advice on what to do?

No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.