I’m Erica Dow and this is your legal tip Tuesday with Quatrini Law Group. As we’re in the middle of tax season, I want you to think about something you’re probably not thinking about. Social Security work credits. When you file your taxes and pay your Social Security taxes, you are paying for work credits. A minimum number of work credits is necessary in order to qualify for retirement or disability compensation benefits. You can earn up to four work credits per year, and it’s based on the amount of income you have. It takes a very, very small amount of reported income in order to earn four work credits, far less than the max the minimum amount to be taxed. So, you wouldn’t owe taxes on the amount that would be required to earn the maximum number of work credits. But if you work for yourself or a small company and are underreporting your income, you may be cheating yourself out of your social security benefits in the future. If you have questions about this, please feel free to reach out. This is Erica Dowd with your Legal Tip Tuesday.