For Social Security survivor benefits, a person under age 24 is considered currently insured if he or she has earned:

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.

Why A is correct

A person under age 24 who becomes disabled needs six credits earned in the three years before the disability to be currently insured for Social Security disability benefits. A worker earns up to four credits per year, so six credits can be earned in as little as two years of work. For older workers the required credits scale up with age. Forty credits is the benchmark for fully insured status, which is needed for retirement benefits and broader survivor protection, while the smaller six-credit test applies specifically to the younger disabled worker.

Why the other options are wrong

• B) Twelve credits is not the requirement for the under-24 currently insured rule for disability benefits. The correct benchmark is six credits earned in the three calendar years before the disability began.
• C) Forty credits makes a worker fully insured, the standard for retirement and broad survivor benefits, not the younger-worker disability test. The six-credit test applies specifically to disabled workers under age 24.
• D) Two credits is far below the six-credit requirement for a disabled worker under age 24. A worker must earn enough credits to be currently insured before disability strikes and can receive benefits.

Memory hook

Under 24 and disabled? Six credits in three years puts you on the current payroll.