You don’t necessarily need a work history to qualify for Social Security.
Nearly 90% of U.S. adults age 65 and older are receiving a Social Security check each month, according to 2024 data from the Social Security Administration.
While retirement benefits are the most common form of Social Security, not everyone qualifies for these types of payments. In general, you’ll need to have worked and paid Social Security taxes for at least 10 years to receive retirement benefits.
If you’ve never worked, that limits the types of benefits you can receive. That said, there are still a few options that can provide you with some extra income even if you have little to no work history.
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1. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides benefits to those who have little to no income for various reasons, but there are some strict eligibility requirements.
To qualify for SSI, you generally must be earning less than $1,971 per month in wages and have little to no resources — such as money in a bank account. For individuals, you must have less than $2,000 in resources, while the limit for married couples is $3,000.
If you’re under age 65, you can only qualify for SSI if you have a disability that limits your ability to work for at least a year or if you have a fatal illness or disease. For those age 65 or older, you can qualify for SSI even if you don’t have a disability.
The exact amount you can receive from SSI depends on several factors, such as your income and marital status. But in 2024, the maximum SSI payment is $943 per month for individuals and $1,415 per month for married couples.
2. Spousal benefits
You may qualify for spousal benefits if you’re married to someone who is entitled to retirement or disability benefits. Even if you have no work history of your own, you could still collect monthly checks based on your spouse’s career earnings.
The maximum you can receive in spousal benefits is 50% of your partner’s full benefit amount — or the amount they’ll collect by filing at their full retirement age. You’ll also need to wait to claim until your own full retirement age to receive this full amount. By filing early, you’ll collect a reduced payment each month.
If you have worked enough to earn a retirement benefit, you can still receive spousal Social Security. However, you’ll only receive the larger of the two amounts, not both.
3. Divorce benefits
Divorce benefits are similar to spousal benefits, but you cannot currently be married to qualify. Your previous marriage also must have lasted for at least 10 years, and if you’ve been divorced for fewer than two years, you’ll need to wait to file until your ex-spouse begins claiming benefits.
Like with spousal benefits, the most you can receive is 50% of your ex-spouse’s full benefit amount. Also, taking divorce benefits will not affect your ex-spouse’s benefit, nor will it impact their current partner’s ability to claim spousal benefits.
4. Survivors benefits
If you’re financially dependent on a loved one who passes away, you could be entitled to survivors benefits. This type of Social Security is generally reserved for widows and widowers, but sometimes other family members — such as parents, children, and divorced spouses — are also eligible.
How much you’ll receive will depend on a few factors, such as your relation to the deceased person and how many others are claiming benefits on their record. But if you’re widowed, you can receive up to 100% of your spouse’s benefit amount.
Social Security can go a long way, so it’s wise to take advantage of every benefit you can get. If you don’t qualify for retirement benefits but you are married, divorced, widowed, disabled, or facing financial challenges, you could be entitled to more than you think.
