[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 20, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 20CFR404.140]

[Page 67]
 
                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
 
               CHAPTER III--SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
 
PART 404_FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950	 )
--Table of Contents
 
            Subpart B_Insured Status and Quarters of Coverage
 
Sec. 404.140  What is a quarter of coverage.

    (a) General. A quarter of coverage (QC) is the basic unit of social 
security coverage used in determining a worker's insured status. We 
credit you with QCs based on your earnings covered under social 
security.
    (b) How we credit QCs based on earnings before 1978 (General). 
Before 1978, wages were generally reported on a quarterly basis and 
self-employment income was reported on an annual basis. For the most 
part, we credit QCs for calendar years before 1978 based on your 
quarterly earnings. For these years, as explained in Sec. 404.141, we 
generally credit you with a QC for each calendar quarter in which you 
were paid at least $50 in wages or were credited with at least $100 of 
self-employment income. Section 404.142 tells how self-employment income 
derived in a taxable year beginning before 1978 is credited to specific 
calendar quarters for purposes of Sec. 404.141.
    (c) How we credit QCs based on earnings after 1977 (General). After 
1977, both wages and self-employment income are generally reported on an 
annual basis. For calendar years after 1977, as explained in Sec. 
404.143, we generally credit you with a QC for each part of your total 
covered earnings in a calendar year that equals the amount required for 
a QC in that year. Section 404.143 also tells how the amount required 
for a QC will be increased in the future as average wages increase. 
Section 404.144 tells how self-employment income derived in a taxable 
year beginning after 1977 is credited to specific calendar years for 
purposes of Sec. 404.143.
    (d) When a QC is acquired and when a calendar quarter is not a QC 
(general). Section 404.145 tells when a QC is acquired and Sec. 404.146 
tells when a calendar quarter cannot be a QC. These rules apply when we 
credit QCs under Sec. 404.141 or Sec. 404.143.