The Social Security Administration (SSA) keeps records on credits worked (work credits) while a person is living in the United States. Work Credits are earned by working at a job covered by Social Security. The credits are based on total earnings. 1 work credit = 1 qualifying quarter. One quarter is a 3-month period. If a non-citizen has earned 40 or more work credits, they are eligible for federally-funded MFIP or SNAP if they meet all other eligibility criteria. In certain circumstances, a non-citizen may receive credit for work performed by another person.

Work credits accrued in the quarter where the person was receiving federal means-tested benefits cannot be counted.

The State Verification and Exchange System (SVES) Interface verifies information on Social Security credits within 2-3 days only for the person who is known to MAXIS. For procedures on verifying work credits using the SVES interface on MAXIS, see TEMP Manual TE02.12.15 (SVES Credits of Coverage).

Calculating Social Security Credits

Use the SVES query to determine if a person’s time working counts as a qualifying work credit, calculate the total amount of work credits as follows:

1.	Add any work credits the person is showing.
2.	Add the following: - Any credits the person’s current and/or deceased spouse had worked while married to the person. If the person and spouse both show earnings in a quarter, that counts as two credits. This information will only be available if the spouse is known to MAXIS. - Any credits that the person’s parent(s) worked before the person was age 18. This information will only be available if the parent is known to MAXIS. NOTE: If the spouse or parent is not known to MAXIS, refer the spouse or parent to create a “my Social Security Administration account” to look up their own qualifying work credits at https://www.ssa.gov/my/account. Accept the printout from ssa.gov as the verification. Only add the credits above where the person and their spouse or parent were in the United States at the same time while the work credits were earned. This means if a parent was working in the United States and the child was still living in another country, the work credits the parent earned during that time cannot be attributed to the child.
3.	Subtract any credits after 12-31-96 in which the person had earnings if they also received federal means tested benefits. (These include MFIP or TANF, Medical Assistance, SNAP, and Supplemental Security Income). - To determine if a person received federal means tested benefits during any credits with earnings check MAXIS for Minnesota history.

If the total does NOT equal at least 40 credits, they are not automatically eligible for federally-funded MFIP or SNAP based solely on social security credits. However, do not deny eligibility, review the credits history with the person or relevant individual to determine if any credits or work are missing. If there are missing credits, determine if that is because of either one of the following situations:

●	If a person believes their social security records are not up to date their records may be behind, see Lag Quarters below.
●	If a person believes there is a discrepancy due to uncovered work refer them to the Social Security Administration.

If after all the above is complete and the person still does not have at least 40 credits, review whether the person has eligibility for state-funded MFIP or SNAP.

See SOCIAL SECURITY CREDITS in 0002.61 (Glossary: Self…). Also see 0031.18 (Battered Spouses, Children, and Parents of Battered Children), 0031.21 (Paroled into the United States for One Year or More), 0031.09 (Lawful Permanent Residents).

LAG credits

Lag credits are work credits that do not appear in the work quarter history because the Social Security Administration has not yet processed an employer report or a self-employment tax form. Earnings will not be reported until February, the lag period is the preceding year and typically a couple months at the beginning of the current year.

To account for any earnings in Lag credits:

The SSA may still be processing earnings for a previous period, this is called lag quarters. These earnings may not yet be on a person's record. Accept an employer's wage statement that includes FICA withholdings for the period in question if those credits are needed to establish the 40 qualifying credits. Accept tax forms such as a W-2 and/or W-2c, employer wage statements, or an IRS copy of the individual’s tax return, if there is a problem in the last taxable year. See 0002.35 (Glossary: Inventory...) for the definition of LAG QUARTERS.

When a person provides the above verification that they have up to four missing lag credits and have a total of 40 or more credits, but the Social Security Administration cannot confirm the information and is conducting an investigation, consider these missing lag credits earned pending the results of the investigation for up to 6 months from the original date of insufficient credits.

MFIP: 

Follow general provisions for the food portion only.

SNAP:

Follow general provisions.

DWP, MSA, GA, GRH:

No provisions.