Which seniors cannot receive Social Security benefits in the US?
Each month, the SSA sends Social Security payments to retirees, among others. There are some older adults who do not qualify for this benefit.
Each month, the Social Security Administration sends out different payments: benefits for retired workers, survivor benefits, as well as disability benefits. The latter includes Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income program.
Each month, more than 70 million seniors receive some type of benefit. However, SSA identifies several groups of people age 60 and older who are not eligible to receive them. We explain in more detail who the “never beneficiaries” are.
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Which seniors cannot receive Social Security benefits in the US?
According to the Social Security Administration, around 3.5% of people over the age of 60 are classified as “never beneficiaries”. People who fall into these groups are not eligible to receive any of the benefits provided by SSA:
Late-arriving immigrants
This group includes those immigrants who reach age 50 or older and have insufficient income to qualify for Social Security. This classification represents 45.8% of people who cannot receive SSA benefits. Retired people who immigrate to the US would not have the 40 US work credits that they need to qualify for Social Security benefits.
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Infrequent workers
Refers to individuals who have insufficient income to qualify for Social Security, but are not late-arriving immigrants. These represent 39.6% of people who cannot receive SSA benefits.
Non-covered workers
This group includes those individuals with sufficient income, but are working in a job without Social Security coverage. This category includes primarily state and local government employees, who have another retirement system. These represent 13.4% of people who cannot receive SSA benefits.
Deceased before obtaining benefits
Refers to individuals who are projected to be eligible for Social Security benefits, but die before receiving them. This group represents 1.2% of those who are classified as “never beneficiaries”.