diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi.Tests/CreditEconomyTests.cs b/api/QuestionsApi.Tests/CreditEconomyTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c63772b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi.Tests/CreditEconomyTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+using QuestionsApi.Models;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace QuestionsApi.Tests;
+
+public sealed class CreditEconomyTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void EarningPolicy_UsesTheAgreedRollingLimit()
+    {
+        Assert.Equal(20, CreditEconomy.RollingEarningLimit);
+        Assert.Equal(TimeSpan.FromHours(24), CreditEconomy.EarningWindow);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CreditStatus_DoesNotExposeUserOrOperationIdentifiers()
+    {
+        Assert.Null(typeof(CreditStatusResponse).GetProperty(nameof(UserCreditAccount.UserId)));
+        Assert.Null(typeof(CreditStatusResponse).GetProperty(nameof(UserCreditAccount.RecentEarnings)));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/CreditsController.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/CreditsController.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..198fe60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/CreditsController.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
+using QuestionsApi.Services;
+using System.Security.Claims;
+
+namespace QuestionsApi.Controllers;
+
+[ApiController]
+[Route("api/credits")]
+[Authorize(Roles = "USER,SUPER")]
+public sealed class CreditsController(CreditStore credits) : ControllerBase
+{
+    [HttpGet]
+    public async Task<IActionResult> Get() => Ok(await credits.GetStatusAsync(UserId()));
+
+    private string UserId() => User.FindFirstValue(ClaimTypes.NameIdentifier)
+        ?? User.FindFirstValue(ClaimTypes.Name)
+        ?? User.Identity?.Name
+        ?? throw new UnauthorizedAccessException();
+}
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/QuestionsController.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/QuestionsController.cs
index 221be3d..3df47a1 100644
--- a/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/QuestionsController.cs
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Controllers/QuestionsController.cs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ public class QuestionsController : ControllerBase
     private readonly ServiceMetrics _metrics;
     private readonly QuestionBookmarkStore _bookmarks;
     private readonly ReviewQueueStore _reviewQueue;
+    private readonly CreditStore _credits;
 
     public QuestionsController(
         QuestionStore questions,
@@ -28,7 +29,8 @@ public class QuestionsController : ControllerBase
         AnswerStatisticsStore statistics,
         ServiceMetrics metrics,
         QuestionBookmarkStore bookmarks,
-        ReviewQueueStore reviewQueue)
+        ReviewQueueStore reviewQueue,
+        CreditStore credits)
     {
         _questions = questions;
         _attempts = attempts;
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@ public class QuestionsController : ControllerBase
         _metrics = metrics;
         _bookmarks = bookmarks;
         _reviewQueue = reviewQueue;
+        _credits = credits;
     }
 
     [HttpGet("systems")]
@@ -172,6 +175,8 @@ public class QuestionsController : ControllerBase
             _metrics.AttemptDuplicate();
         }
         await _reviewQueue.AddFromFirstAttemptAsync(record.Attempt);
+        if (record.Inserted && !User.IsInRole("SUPER"))
+            await _credits.AwardForFirstAnswerAsync(userId, record.Attempt.Id ?? "");
 
         var ratingOwner = Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N");
         var shouldRate = await _attempts.TryAcquireRatingLeaseAsync(
@@ -204,7 +209,8 @@ public class QuestionsController : ControllerBase
                 question,
                 await _statistics.GetPercentagesForQuestionAsync(question.ExternalId)),
             QuestionElo = rating.QuestionElo,
-            Rating = rating
+            Rating = rating,
+            Credits = await _credits.GetStatusAsync(userId)
         });
     }
 
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Models/CreditModels.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Models/CreditModels.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50f4aea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Models/CreditModels.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+using MongoDB.Bson;
+using MongoDB.Bson.Serialization.Attributes;
+
+namespace QuestionsApi.Models;
+
+public static class CreditEconomy
+{
+    public const int RollingEarningLimit = 20;
+    public static readonly TimeSpan EarningWindow = TimeSpan.FromHours(24);
+}
+
+public sealed class CreditEvent
+{
+    public string OperationId { get; set; } = "";
+    public DateTime CreatedUtc { get; set; }
+}
+
+public sealed class UserCreditAccount
+{
+    [BsonId]
+    [BsonRepresentation(BsonType.ObjectId)]
+    public string? Id { get; set; }
+    public string UserId { get; set; } = "";
+    public int Credits { get; set; }
+    public List<CreditEvent> RecentEarnings { get; set; } = [];
+    public DateTime UpdatedUtc { get; set; } = DateTime.UtcNow;
+}
+
+public sealed class CreditStatusResponse
+{
+    public int Credits { get; set; }
+    public int EarnedInRollingWindow { get; set; }
+    public int RemainingEarningCapacity { get; set; }
+    public int RollingWindowHours { get; set; } = 24;
+}
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Models/QuestionResponse.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Models/QuestionResponse.cs
index 0c636ba..97e70fb 100644
--- a/api/QuestionsApi/Models/QuestionResponse.cs
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Models/QuestionResponse.cs
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ public class FirstQuestionAttemptResponse
     public Dictionary<string, int> ChoiceSelectionPercentages { get; set; } = [];
     public int QuestionElo { get; set; } = 1000;
     public RatingChangeResponse? Rating { get; set; }
+    public CreditStatusResponse? Credits { get; set; }
 }
 
 public class SkipQuestionResponse
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Program.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Program.cs
index c04924b..7daeda7 100644
--- a/api/QuestionsApi/Program.cs
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Program.cs
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ builder.Services.Configure<ForwardedHeadersOptions>(options =>
 });
 
 builder.Services.AddSingleton<MongoDatabaseProvider>();
+builder.Services.AddSingleton(TimeProvider.System);
+builder.Services.AddSingleton<CreditStore>();
 builder.Services.AddSingleton<QuestionStore>();
 builder.Services.AddSingleton<QuestionAttemptStore>();
 builder.Services.AddSingleton<AnswerStatisticsStore>();
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Services/CreditStore.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Services/CreditStore.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5914ed0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Services/CreditStore.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+using MongoDB.Bson;
+using MongoDB.Driver;
+using QuestionsApi.Models;
+
+namespace QuestionsApi.Services;
+
+public sealed class CreditStore
+{
+    private readonly IMongoCollection<UserCreditAccount> _accounts;
+    private readonly TimeProvider _clock;
+
+    public CreditStore(MongoDatabaseProvider mongo, TimeProvider clock)
+    {
+        _accounts = mongo.Database.GetCollection<UserCreditAccount>("UserCreditAccounts");
+        _clock = clock;
+        _accounts.Indexes.CreateOne(new CreateIndexModel<UserCreditAccount>(
+            Builders<UserCreditAccount>.IndexKeys.Ascending(value => value.UserId),
+            new CreateIndexOptions { Unique = true, Name = "uq_credit_user" }));
+    }
+
+    public async Task<bool> AwardForFirstAnswerAsync(string userId, string attemptId)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(attemptId)) return false;
+        var now = _clock.GetUtcNow().UtcDateTime;
+        await EnsureAndCleanAsync(userId, now);
+
+        var filters = Builders<UserCreditAccount>.Filter;
+        var belowCap = new BsonDocumentFilterDefinition<UserCreditAccount>(
+            new BsonDocument("$expr", new BsonDocument("$lt", new BsonArray
+            {
+                new BsonDocument("$size", "$RecentEarnings"),
+                CreditEconomy.RollingEarningLimit
+            })));
+        var filter = filters.Eq(value => value.UserId, userId) &
+            filters.Not(filters.ElemMatch(value => value.RecentEarnings,
+                earning => earning.OperationId == attemptId)) &
+            belowCap;
+        var update = Builders<UserCreditAccount>.Update
+            .Inc(value => value.Credits, 1)
+            .Push(value => value.RecentEarnings, new CreditEvent
+            {
+                OperationId = attemptId,
+                CreatedUtc = now
+            })
+            .Set(value => value.UpdatedUtc, now);
+        return (await _accounts.UpdateOneAsync(filter, update)).ModifiedCount == 1;
+    }
+
+    public async Task<CreditStatusResponse> GetStatusAsync(string userId)
+    {
+        var now = _clock.GetUtcNow().UtcDateTime;
+        await EnsureAndCleanAsync(userId, now);
+        var account = await _accounts.Find(value => value.UserId == userId).FirstAsync();
+        return new CreditStatusResponse
+        {
+            Credits = account.Credits,
+            EarnedInRollingWindow = account.RecentEarnings.Count,
+            RemainingEarningCapacity = Math.Max(
+                0, CreditEconomy.RollingEarningLimit - account.RecentEarnings.Count)
+        };
+    }
+
+    private async Task EnsureAndCleanAsync(string userId, DateTime now)
+    {
+        await _accounts.UpdateOneAsync(
+            value => value.UserId == userId,
+            Builders<UserCreditAccount>.Update
+                .SetOnInsert(value => value.UserId, userId)
+                .SetOnInsert(value => value.UpdatedUtc, now),
+            new UpdateOptions { IsUpsert = true });
+        var cutoff = now - CreditEconomy.EarningWindow;
+        await _accounts.UpdateOneAsync(
+            value => value.UserId == userId,
+            Builders<UserCreditAccount>.Update.PullFilter(
+                value => value.RecentEarnings,
+                earning => earning.CreatedUtc <= cutoff));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/api/QuestionsApi/Services/UserProfileStore.cs b/api/QuestionsApi/Services/UserProfileStore.cs
index 2e3c086..50f9afe 100644
--- a/api/QuestionsApi/Services/UserProfileStore.cs
+++ b/api/QuestionsApi/Services/UserProfileStore.cs
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ public sealed class UserProfileStore
         "Step3Outcomes", "QuestionReports", "CcsCaseReports", "AppFeedback", "UserStudyProfiles",
         "ExternalIdentities", "ExternalAuthTransactions",
         "FlashcardDecks", "FlashcardNotes", "FlashcardSchedules", "FlashcardReviewLogs",
-        "FlashcardMediaAssets", "FlashcardSettings", "FlashcardImportPreviews"
+        "FlashcardMediaAssets", "FlashcardSettings", "FlashcardImportPreviews",
+        "UserCreditAccounts"
     ];
 
     public UserProfileStore(MongoDatabaseProvider mongo)
diff --git a/docs/QUESTION_COMPLETION_CREDITS.md b/docs/QUESTION_COMPLETION_CREDITS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93f2dc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/QUESTION_COMPLETION_CREDITS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# Question-completion credits
+
+This branch introduces credit earning only. It does not impose a question
+limit, redeem credits, sell products, activate passes, consume exam tokens, or
+reset QBank progress.
+
+- A successfully stored first answer earns one credit regardless of whether it
+  is correct.
+- A repeated answer does not earn another credit.
+- A skipped question does not earn credit.
+- At most 20 credits can be earned in a rolling 24-hour window.
+- Historical attempts are not backfilled.
+- `GET /api/credits` returns the authenticated user's balance and current
+  rolling-window capacity.
+- The first-attempt response also includes the updated credit status.
+
+The API is authoritative. Credit grants use the immutable attempt ID as their
+idempotency key, so retrying the same completed question cannot grant another
+credit. Credit accounts are included in account export and deletion.