Can I earn remaining Social Security work credits after 12-year gap, or is 10-year rule disqualifying me?

Good news! There's no 10-year window where you need to earn all your credits. The 40 credits (or "quarters of coverage") requirement is a lifetime total. Social Security work credits never expire, so those 36 credits you earned are still valid. You only need 4 more credits to qualify for retirement benefits, which you can earn in as little as one year (you can earn up to 4 credits per year). In 2025, you earn one credit for each $1,820 in covered earnings (this amount increases slightly each year). So yes, you can absolutely go back to work now and earn those remaining credits!

My mom had a similar situation! She stayed home with us for 15 years then went back to work. SSA told her all her old credits still counted. She just needed a few more to qualify.

I went through this exact situation. Your 36 credits are safe and never expire. The confusion might be about the recency requirements for disability benefits (which do require 20 of your 40 credits to be earned in the last 10 years), but for retirement benefits, there's no such time limitation. You just need 40 lifetime credits. One thing to consider though - even after you qualify with 40 credits, your benefit amount will be based on your highest 35 years of earnings. Since you have years with zero earnings while homeschooling, your benefit might be relatively low. Each additional year you work beyond the minimum needed for eligibility will likely increase your eventual benefit amount by replacing those zeros in the calculation.

I just wanted to add that you can check your current status and projected benefits by creating a my Social Security account on ssa.gov. You'll be able to see exactly how many credits you have and get estimates of what your benefit might be. I tried calling them about my credits situation but was on hold forever until I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in about 15 minutes. You might want to check out their video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU to see how it works. The agent I spoke with was super helpful in explaining my credits situation.

One other thing to consider - since you're returning to work after being out of the workforce for 12 years, make sure your earnings are being properly reported to Social Security. After your first year back at work, check your Social Security statement to verify the earnings are showing up correctly. Also, depending on your overall financial situation and age, you might want to look into spousal benefits if you're married (or divorced after a marriage of at least 10 years). Sometimes those can be higher than benefits based on your own work record.

I dont think anyone mentioned this but did u know theres something called the Windfall Elimination Provision?? If u get a pension from work not covered by SS it could reduce your benefits. Happened to my uncle who was a teacher. Just thought id mention it in case it applies to ur situation.

Thank you all SO much for your helpful responses! I feel so much better knowing that my 36 credits are still valid and I just need 4 more to qualify. I'm definitely going to create that my Social Security account to check my current status, and I'll look into whether spousal benefits might be better for me in the long run. I'm actually excited to get back to work now, knowing that it will help secure at least some retirement income. What a relief!