For Social Security survivor benefits, a person under age 24 is considered currently insured if he or she has earned:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
A worker under age 24 is currently insured with 6 credits earned within the three-year period ending when the worker dies or becomes disabled. Currently insured status provides survivor benefits even without the 40 credits needed for fully insured status, because a young worker cannot reasonably accumulate a full career's worth of credits. This lower threshold is a specific Social Security exam fact that distinguishes the two levels of insured status. Credits are earned through covered employment, with a maximum of four per year, so six credits represent about a year and a half of work.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Forty credits make a worker fully insured for retirement and disability benefits, but the under-24 threshold for currently insured status is only 6 credits. Six credits can be earned in roughly a year and a half, making the threshold realistic for young workers.
- C) Twelve credits within one year is not the under-24 rule and misstates both the number of credits and the measuring window. Fully insured status requires 40 credits, a much higher standard than the 6 needed here.
- D) Twenty credits in five years is not a Social Security credit standard for currently insured status. No such twelve-credit rule exists for currently insured status at any age under Social Security.
Memory hook
Under 24, six credits in three years is enough to be currently insured. Young workers get a lighter lift.