To check your Social Security credits online, sign in to the free “my Social Security” account at ssa.gov/myaccount and open your Social Security Statement. The statement displays your total credits, tells you whether you have reached the 40 credits needed for retirement benefits, and lists your reported earnings for every year you worked.1Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Statement
Set Up Your My Social Security Account
You need to be at least 18 years old and have a Social Security number to create an account.2Social Security Administration. Create an Account During sign-up, you’ll be sent to one of two identity verification services, Login.gov or ID.me. Both use multi-factor authentication, so you’ll confirm your identity with a phone or an authenticator app in addition to a password.3Social Security Administration. my Social Security
If you already have a Login.gov or ID.me account from another federal service, you can use those same credentials to sign in. There is no fee to create the account or to view your statement.4Federal Register. Charging Standard Administrative Fees for Non-Program Information
Open Your Statement and Find Your Credits
Once you’re signed in, your personal dashboard loads. Select the option to view your Social Security Statement. The statement is generated in real time from the SSA’s records.
The top of the statement tells you whether you have earned enough credits to qualify for retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. If you have reached 40 credits, the statement confirms you qualify for retirement benefits and shows estimated monthly amounts at ages 62, full retirement age, and 70. If you haven’t, it notes that no benefit estimate is available yet and shows how many credits you still need.5Social Security Administration. Your Social Security Statement
Below that summary, an earnings record lists your reported income year by year. That’s where the credits actually come from, so it’s worth understanding the math before you interpret what you see.
How Credits Are Counted
Social Security credits, formally called “quarters of coverage,” are the building blocks of eligibility for retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. In 2026, you earn one credit for every $1,890 of wages or self-employment income, up to a maximum of four credits per year.6Social Security Administration. Quarter of Coverage The dollar threshold rises gradually each year with the national average wage index.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 413 – Quarter and Quarter of Coverage
Retirement benefits require 40 credits, which works out to about ten years of work.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 414 – Insured Status for Purposes of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Benefits There’s no shortcut: a very high income in one year still tops out at four credits. Self-employed workers earn credits on the same schedule, based on net self-employment income reported on your tax return.6Social Security Administration. Quarter of Coverage
So when you look at your statement, the credit total is calculated from every year of reported earnings on the record below it. If earnings are missing, credits are missing too.
Check the Earnings Record for Errors
The SSA recommends reviewing your statement every year.1Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Statement Compare each year against your W-2 forms or tax returns. A year showing zero when you worked, or a lower figure than you actually earned, can reduce your future benefits.
If you spot a mistake, gather documentation before contacting the SSA. The strongest evidence is a W-2 for the year in question, a federal tax return, or pay stubs. If you have no paperwork left, write down the employer’s name, work location, dates, pay rate, and the name and Social Security number you used at the time.9Social Security Administration. How to Correct Your Social Security Earnings Record
Corrections have a deadline: three years, three months, and 15 days after the year the earnings were paid.10Social Security Administration. Definitions (Section 404.802) For 2026 earnings, that deadline falls on April 15, 2030. After the deadline, corrections are harder but still possible in certain situations, such as when the SSA has your tax return or wage report already on file, when there’s a clerical error on the face of SSA records, or when wages were posted to the wrong person’s account.11Social Security Administration. Correction of the Record of Your Earnings After the Time Limit Ends
If You Don’t Want to Use the Online Portal
You can get the same information without creating an account. Complete Form SSA-7004 and mail it to:12Social Security Administration. Request for a Social Security Statement (SSA-7004)
Social Security Administration
Wilkes Barre Direct Operations Center
P.O. Box 7004
Wilkes Barre, PA 18767-7004
Or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) for assistance. A paper statement typically arrives within four to six weeks after your request is processed.12Social Security Administration. Request for a Social Security Statement (SSA-7004) The paper and online versions are both free and both show non-certified yearly earnings totals.
A Note on Work Done Abroad
If you worked in another country, those credits will not appear on your U.S. statement. Credits stay on the record of the country where they were earned. The United States has totalization agreements with dozens of countries that let you combine credits from both systems when you apply for benefits, provided you have at least six credits under the U.S. system.13Social Security Administration. Totalization Agreements The SSA contacts the other country’s agency directly at that point; you don’t need to bring foreign records over yourself to see your U.S. credit total.