Oklahoma Social Security Disability Work Requirements
Social Security disability benefits may be offered if you have a disability that meets the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) criteria and you have worked for long enough before your disability began. To be eligible for disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) scheme, you must pass a recent work test and a duration of work test. You gain work credits when you work and pay social security payroll or self-employment taxes. Eligibility for disability benefits depends on the number of work credits you have accumulated while employed.
Understanding Work Credits in Oklahoma
What are Work Credits?
Work credits are accumulated when you work and pay social security taxes. The number of work credits you have accumulated determines whether you are eligible for SSDI benefits but does not affect the amount of benefits you can obtain.
How Work Credits Are Calculated
A single work credit is obtained when you earn $1,730 (in 2024). If you earn $3,460 at least in a single year, then you will have earned 2 work credits in that year. You can only earn a maximum of 4 work credits in a single year. So, if you earn $7,000, $10,000, or $50,000, you will only earn 4 work credits that year. It doesn’t matter which state you live and work in as SSDI and work credits are part of a federal program, so Oklahoma disability work requirements are the same as in all other U.S. states.
The Role of Work Credits in Disability Benefits
The number of work credits you have accumulated shows how much work you have done over your lifetime before you developed your disability and therefore shows that you have paid sufficient social security taxes to justify eligibility for federal SSDI disability benefits. You cannot be paid disability benefits if you have not accumulated a certain number of work credits. If you are not eligible for SSDI benefits, you may be able to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments which are not based on work history. Oklahoma does not provide separate payments for people with disabilities but can provide services such as disability placards and plates.
How Many Work Credits Do You Need in Oklahoma?
Work Credit Requirements by Age
The number of work credits you need to pass the recent work test depends on the age you are when you become disabled. To be eligible for disability benefits in Oklahoma you must be able to show that you will not be able to work for at least the next 12 months.
The SSA uses two different work tests to determine whether you are eligible for disability benefits. These tests are the recent work test and the duration of work test. Both tests use a combination of your age and the number of years you have worked to determine whether you have passed the two tests.
Blind Workers
If you were statutorily blind when you applied for disability benefits in Oklahoma you do not need to pass the recent work test, just the duration of work test. This means that SSDI work requirements in Oklahoma are less strict if you are blind.
Recent Work Test & Duration of Work Test
The following list shows how many credits you must have accumulated to pass the recent work test:
Up to age 24 you need to have earned 6 credits in the 3 years before your disability started.
From 24 to 31 you must have credits for half the number of years between when you were 21 and the age you became disabled. For example, if you were 29 when your disability began, you need to have 16 credits earned because half of the difference in age would be 4 years of credits needed.
From 31 to 65 you need 20 credits in the 10 year immediately before the age you became disabled.
The duration of work test is the second test used by the SSA to assess eligibility for benefits. The number of credits you need to have earned for this test depends on your age again when you became disabled. The older you are when you become disabled, the longer you need to have worked. For example, if you were 40 when you became disabled, you will need to have worked for at least 4.5 years. At 60, you will need to have worked for at least 9.5 years.
What If You Don’t Meet the Work Requirements in Oklahoma?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
If you are not eligible for SSDI disability benefits because you have not earned enough work credits, you may still be able to obtain benefits through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSI benefits may be available if you meet the medical criteria for a disability as determined by the SSA and you have limited income and assets.
Exceptions and Appeals
If you believe you should be able to meet the work requirements for disability benefits in Oklahoma but have had your application rejected you may be able to appeal the decision. You are advised to contact a disability benefits lawyer to discuss your application and whether it is worth appealing.
How to Check Your Work Credits
There are several ways you can check your work credits to see whether you are eligible for SSDI disability benefits in Oklahoma.
- Create an SSA account (if you don’t already have one) and then you can review your earnings statement;
- Use the SSA’s benefits calculator to see whether you are eligible for benefits based on your work history;
- Contact the SSA by phone or visit a local SSA office in person to discuss your work history and whether you would have enough credits to be eligible for benefits.
