Many people who apply for Social Security Disability Insurance SSDI benefits are full-time employees. They may even be the primary wage-earners for their families. When they develop medical challenges that interfere with their employment, they may struggle to continue paying their bills.
Full-time employees who have held their jobs for years often recognize that they are eligible for SSDI benefits. Not everyone is as certain of their rights. There are many working professionals who may not put in 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Some professionals only have seasonal employment. They may work as a seasonal employee in the retail sector around the holidays, for example.
Can those who only work for part of the year qualify for SSDI benefits?
Full-time employment is not technically mandatory
The Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at both medical records and employment history when responding to SSDI applicants. In addition to showing that a medical condition is truly debilitating and likely to last a year or longer, workers must have accrued enough credits with the SSA.
For most applicants over the age of 31, 40 credits are necessary to qualify for SSDI benefits. At least 20 of those credits should be from within the last decade. Workers can receive one credit for every $1,890 that they earn. If a seasonal employee earned at least $7,560 per year, then they have likely accumulated the maximum number of Social Security credits possible.
SSDI benefits are available even to those who do not work 40 hours per week or every season of the year. Professionals do not need to have full-time employment so long as they earn enough annually and have held a job within the recent past.