{"data":{"id":"us/20-cfr-404.143","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"20 CFR 404.143","heading":"How we credit quarters of coverage for calendar years after 1977.","body":"(a) Crediting quarters of coverage (QCs). For calendar years after 1977, we credit you with a QC for each part of the total wages paid and self-employment income credited (under § 404.144) to you in a calendar year that equals the amount required for a QC in that year. For example, if the total of your wages and self-employment income for a calendar year is more than twice, but less than 3 times, the amount required for a QC in that year, we credit you with only 2 QCs for the year. The rules for crediting QCs in this section are subject to the limitations in § 404.146, which tells when a calendar quarter cannot be a QC. In addition, we cannot credit you with more than four QCs for any calendar year. The amount of wages and self-employment income that you must have for each QC is—\n(1) $250 for calendar year 1978; and\n(2) For each calendar year after 1978, an amount determined by the Commissioner for that year (on the basis of a formula in section 213(d)(2) of the Act which reflects national increases in average wages). The amount determined by the Commissioner is published in the Federal Register on or before November 1 of the preceding year and included in the appendix to this subpart.\n(b) Assigning QCs. We assign a QC credited under paragraph (a) of this section to a specific calendar quarter in the calendar year only if the assignment is necessary to—\n(1) Give you fully or currently insured status;\n(2) Entitle you to a computation or recomputation of your primary insurance amount; or\n(3) Permit you to establish a period of disability.","path":["Title 20—Employees' Benefits","CHAPTER III—SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION","PART 404—FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- )","Subpart B—Insured Status and Quarters of Coverage"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-20.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:24:45Z","sha256":"14a84ee0b8950de36423d6ba9ef9ad0f75b44dcc85154952f260f645a298a33f","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/20-cfr-404.142","next":"us/20-cfr-404.144"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}