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Any claim of non-covered quarters should be discussed with the Administration's office at
(202) 698-3900.
When an applicant cannot meet the 40-quarters exception using covered earnings or Medicare-only federal, state, or local wages but alleges that s/he had additional work that is not documented by the SVES query of the QCHS, follow the outline below to establish the existence of the earnings and convert them to QQs. The two steps that should be followed are:
| Step 1: |
The SSR should review the QCHS response with the applicant to determine whether QQs are missing from the record.
- If QQs are not missing from the response, make your determination based on the information already obtained.
- If QQs are missing from the response, obtain sufficient information from the individual so that the SSR can use the Credit of Qualifying Quarters Chart in Section 7.9.6: Making the Determination in this Chapter to determine whether the alleged earnings are covered or non-covered. Some examples of questions the SSR might ask are:
- Name and address of employer
- Dates of employment
- Amount of earnings
- Type of business or self-employment
- Rate of pay
- Work performed
The Covered Employment Chart should be used as a guide. The Social Security Act provisions are complex and the chart may not cover exceptions in the SSA.
It is important to note that 97 percent of all employment is now covered under the Social Security Act.
- If the SSR determines the earnings are from covered employment or federal, state, or local Medicare-only wages then refer to development guidelines in Section 7.9.3: Determining Qualifying Quarters (QQ) in this Chapter.
- If the SSR determines the earnings are from other non-covered employment, then you must obtain satisfactory evidence that the earnings exist before using the earnings to credit QQs. For acceptable means by which evidence necessary to credit QQs might be obtained see Section 7.9.3: Determining Qualifying Quarters (QQ) in this Chapter.
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| Step 2: |
If the SSR is satisfied that the non-covered earnings exist, use the Credit of Qualifying Quarters Chart in Section 7.9.6: Making the Determination in this Chapter to determine the number of QQs that can be credited. Covered and non-covered earning can be combined for a year. The dollar amount indicates the amount needed to credit one QQ beginning with 1979.
A current year quarter may be included in the 40-quarter computation. The SSR should use the current year amount as the divisor to determine the number of quarters available. A quarter may be counted once it has started, even if it is not yet complete. |
If the SSR needs to credit quarters from 1937 through 1977, use the following guidelines:
- A credit was earned for each calender quarter in which an individual was paid $50 or more in wages (including agricultural wages for 1951-1954).
- Four credits were earned for each taxable year in which an individual’s net earnings from self-employment were $400 or more.
- A credit was earned for each $100 (limit to a total of four) for agricultural wages paid during the year for the years 1955-1977.
A QQ cannot be credited before 1937. |
