Social Security benefits depend on earning work credits through employment or self-employment, not just citizenship or residency.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Many people believe that once they reach retirement age, they can simply claim their Social Security benefits. And while that is ...

You gain access to Social Security benefits by paying Social Security tax. When you earn and pay taxes on a certain amount of income, you earn work credits. After you have earned 40 work credits, you ...