Hi my question is if worked for 17 years in one job and 3 years in another job when younger but have not worked in 21 years due to being a unpaid caregiver for a family member do I still qualify for social security at 62 years old?

Hi. You only need to have 40 quarters of Social Security covered work, or the rough equivalent of 10 years of work, to be able to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, Social Security retirement benefits are based on an average of a person's highest 35 years of Social Security covered wage-indexed earnings, so if you have fewer than 35 years of Social Security covered earnings then Social Security will average in zero earnings years when calculating your benefit rate. And, that would reduce your 35 year average and your resulting benefit rate.

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Best, Jerry