How Long Do You Have to Work to Qualify for Social Security Retirement Benefits?
Most retirees depend on Social Security for at least some of their income. Retirement benefits become available as early as age 62 and are meant to replace about 40% of the money you earned while working. But not every senior is automatically entitled to receive them since they're an earned benefit.
Social Security benefits are based on your work record, so you may not qualify for them if you haven't worked and paid into the Social Security system. All current workers need to know whether they qualify or not, so it's helpful to know how long you have to work to become eligible.
You should also know there are some circumstances where you can get benefits without the requisite work record, or even if you've never worked at all.
Source Fool.com
