A sponsor’s Form I-864 obligation ends automatically once the sponsored immigrant is credited with 40 qualifying quarters of Social Security coverage under the I-864 rules, provided none of those quarters overlapped with a disqualifying federal means-tested benefit received after December 31, 1996.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1183a – Requirements for Sponsors Affidavit of Support Forty quarters is roughly ten years of covered work, but the immigrant can reach the threshold sooner by combining their own credits with quarters earned by a spouse during the marriage or by a parent before the immigrant turned 18.
The threshold matters because the I-864 does not expire on its own. It ends only when the immigrant naturalizes, dies, loses lawful permanent resident status and leaves the country, the sponsor dies, or the 40-quarter mark is reached.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-864 Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA Divorce is not on that list. Sponsors who assume the obligation faded when the marriage did have been sued more than a decade later.
What Counts as a Qualifying Quarter
A qualifying quarter is a Social Security work credit. You earn credits by paying Social Security taxes on wages or self-employment income, and the dollar amount that buys one credit is set each year by the Social Security Administration. In 2026, $1,890 in covered earnings equals one credit, and $7,560 in a single year gets you the annual maximum of four.3Social Security Administration. Quarter of Coverage No one earns more than four credits in a calendar year, so 40 credits requires a minimum of ten years of covered work.
Self-employed workers earn credits the same way, but the paper trail is different. The Social Security Administration verifies self-employment income through Schedule C and Schedule SE filed with the federal tax return.4Social Security Administration. Proof of Self-Employment Income Cash work that was never reported generated no credits, no matter how many years it went on. Only earnings that actually passed through payroll or self-employment tax count.
The Means-Tested Benefits Rule
A quarter only counts toward the 40 if the person whose credit you’re using did not receive a federal means-tested public benefit at any point during that quarter. This restriction applies to every quarter credited for any period after December 31, 1996.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1183a – Requirements for Sponsors Affidavit of Support It doesn’t matter that full Social Security taxes were paid during the quarter. If a disqualifying benefit was received, the quarter is out.
The federal programs that trigger disqualification include Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and non-emergency Medicaid. A month of SNAP wipes out that entire quarter. And because borrowed credits carry the same restriction, a spouse’s TANF receipt during a quarter kills that quarter for the immigrant, too.
Several programs are carved out and do not trigger disqualification: emergency Medicaid, school lunch programs, immunizations, Head Start, and student financial aid.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1613 – Five-Year Limited Eligibility of Qualified Aliens for Federal Means-Tested Public Benefit Using any of those does not cost the immigrant a quarter.
Borrowing Quarters From a Spouse or Parent
Federal law lets the immigrant count qualifying quarters earned by certain family members.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1645 – Qualifying Quarters Two sources are available:
- Quarters worked by a spouse during the marriage, as long as the couple remains married or the spouse has died. If the marriage ends in divorce before the immigrant reaches 40 quarters, the spousal credits are lost.
- Quarters earned by a parent while the immigrant was under 18.
Combining sources is how many immigrants reach 40 quarters well before working a full decade themselves. But because the means-tested benefits rule follows the credit, proving borrowed quarters means pulling SSA records for each contributing person and checking each quarter against any benefits that person received.
Proving the 40 Quarters
USCIS officers do not calculate quarters on their own. The immigrant has to submit official Social Security records to show the threshold has been met.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8 Part G Chapter 6 – Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA A free “my Social Security” account at ssa.gov gives a quick unofficial count of lifetime earnings and credits, which is fine for planning but may not be accepted as formal proof in a legal dispute.
Official documentation comes from Form SSA-7050, Request for Social Security Earnings Information. The fees are:8Social Security Administration. Form SSA-7050 – Request for Social Security Earnings Information
- Certified yearly earnings totals: $35
- Non-certified itemized statement: $61
- Certified itemized statement: $96
The certified itemized statement is generally the right choice when the records will be used in court or filed with USCIS, because it carries the SSA’s official certification.
Fix Errors Before You File
Compare the SSA earnings statement against your own Form 1040 returns year by year. If a year of income is missing or understated, the SSA will accept W-2s, tax returns, pay stubs, and other wage records to correct the record.9Social Security Administration. How to Correct Your Social Security Earnings Record Self-employed workers should keep Schedule C and Schedule SE together with the return itself, since those are what the SSA uses to verify self-employment credits. A statement that shows 38 quarters when the true number is 40 can stall the whole process while old W-2s get tracked down.
How Termination Actually Happens
There is no form to file with USCIS to close out an I-864. Termination happens by operation of law the moment the 40-quarter threshold is reached (or another statutory termination event occurs).1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1183a – Requirements for Sponsors Affidavit of Support No agency approval is issued and no confirmation is sent.
Proof only matters when someone tries to enforce the I-864. A government agency seeking reimbursement for means-tested benefits, or the sponsored immigrant suing for support, will trigger the sponsor’s defense: 40 clean quarters were on the books before the claim arose. The certified SSA earnings statement, along with documentation that no disqualifying benefits were received during the credited quarters, is the evidence that ends the dispute. Sponsors who anticipate a possible claim (often after a divorce) sometimes keep copies of the immigrant’s earnings records in their own files so they are not scrambling years later.
Joint Sponsors and Household Members
If a joint sponsor signed a separate I-864, or a household member signed Form I-864A to combine income, those parties are liable on the same terms as the petitioning sponsor.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-864 Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA The 40-quarter threshold releases all of them at once. It is the immigrant’s work history (with permissible borrowed credits) that ends the obligation, not any individual sponsor’s status.