Mississippi Social Security Benefits
- In 2009, over 583,000 residents in Mississippi received Social Security benefits. Mississippi beneficiaries received $564 million each month in benefit payments. This state and seven others---Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia North Carolina and South Carolina---are part of the Social Security Administration's Atlanta region. If you need assistance with applying for Social Security benefits in Mississippi, 24 of the Region's 250 field offices are located throughout this state.
- The Social Security Administration pays survivors benefits to your family members when you die. Their benefits are based on your history of earnings. For them to receive benefits, you must have accumulated 40 work credits. You earn work credits for every $1,120 made during the year. When you make $4,480, you get four work credits, which is the maximum you can get annually. If you die before reaching 40 work credits, you may still be eligible. Survivor benefit amounts are based on the beneficiaries' ages. Your spouse, as well as your ex-spouse, receives 100 percent of your full benefit rate if they are at full retirement age, which is 66 if they were born between 1945 to 1961 and 67 if born after 1962. However, they only receive 71.5 percent if they're between 60 to full retirement age.
- Over 121,000 disabled workers in Mississippi received Social Security disability benefits in 2009. You are eligible to receive disability payments as well if you have a long-term impairment, injury or illness lasting longer than one year. Your disability must prevent you from working and adjusting to other types of jobs (see Resources). You must also have 40 work credits but you can still receive benefits if you're disabled at a younger age (see Resources). As with survivors benefits, your disability payments are also based on your lifetime earnings while you worked. Once you're accepted, you must wait five full months before receiving disability benefits (see Resources). First-time applicants for Social Security disability benefits have a hard time being accepted as six in 10 are denied (see Resources).
- The Social Security Administration also has a retirement program that pays benefits to you once you reach a certain age. You are eligible for retirement benefits when you accumulate 40 work credits. The Social Security Administration calculates your benefit amounts off of 35 years of your earnings (see Resources). You can receive benefits as early as age 62 and as late as 70 but your amounts will vary. If you receive benefits before you reach full retirement age, your benefits are reduced and if you delay your benefits to a later age, then your amounts are higher (see Resources). In 2009, 318,000 retired workers in Mississippi received over $346 million in retirement benefits each month.
