A social security claimant wants born August 25, 1899.

She applied for social security retirement benefits in May 1965.

In order to qualify at the time, she needed at least 10 quarters of covered earnings. As of December 31 1963 she had 7 quarters of coverage.

She worked continuously from January through June, 1964, earning over $4,500. She did not work in July or August 1964. But she worked enough in September 1964 that she maxed out her social security earnings for the year (which at the time was a paltry $4,800). The law provided that because she earned the social security maximum that year, she was entitled to four quarters of coverage for the year. So, she had more than enough quarters of coverage to achieve fully insured status.

The question was when her benefits were to begin. The answer was July 1st, 1964, the first day of the quarter in which she achieved fully insured status (even though she did not have earnings until September of that quarter).

See Social Security Ruling (SSR) 65-44.

This material should not be construed as legal advice for any particular fact situation, but is intended for general informational purposes only. For advice specific to any individual situation, an experienced attorney should be contacted.