5 Social Security Rules You Should Know by Heart
Hundreds of millions of Americans have benefited from Social Security during its history, and millions more will earn benefits in the future. The program can be complicated, and it's not always obvious how Social Security benefits work. With that in mind, below are six key Social Security rules that include the most important elements of the program and how to get the monthly checks that you deserve.
In general, Social Security requires workers to have 10 full years of work history in order to qualify for retirement benefits. Strictly speaking, the requirement involves earning 40 work credits, with workers eligible to receive up to four credits per year. It takes earnings of $1,300 in 2017 or $1,320 in 2018 to get a credit, which means that as long as you have more than $5,200 or $5,280, respectively, in earnings for those years, you'll max out your credits and be on track to earn full benefits within a 10-year period.
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Source: Fool.com
