Many Americans dream of living abroad. Depending on the country, your dollars can often go much further there, enabling you to live a more comfortable life while in retirement. Collecting Social Security benefits wherever you are can make a real difference—if you can get them.
Most people qualified for Social Security can receive them when they live abroad. The Social Security Administration (SSA) can send it via direct deposit to a bank in that country, making it easily accessible. Many hundreds of thousands of Americans living abroad receive their checks every month.
Social Security Checks Cannot Be Sent to Some Countries
The SSA will not send checks will to certain countries. MSN lists nine countries where Americans cannot get their checks: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.If you live in two of these countries—Cuba or North Korea—you will not be eligible for payments at all while you live there. You also are ineligible for back payments and will lose (forfeit) them during that time. When living in the other countries listed above, the SSA will hold your checks, and you can receive retroactive benefits during that time.
People Living Abroad Can Receive Benefits Indefinitely
If you are a U.S. citizen who qualifies for Social Security benefits, you can receive them as long as you live overseas. There is no maximum amount of time.While living outside the United States, the SSA requires that you complete a Social Security Form SSA-7162 every year or every other year. It is a two-page form that asks about your address, work status, children, and marital status—whether you have been married or divorced in the past year. USA.gov says that if you do not return these forms, your payments may stop. Your answers determine if you still qualify for benefits.
Requirements to Receive Social Security
Before you can claim Social Security benefits, you must be eligible for them. You will have to have 40 work credits, which is equivalent to 10 years of work. Without enough credits, you are not eligible to receive the benefits. TheBalanceMoney states that if you leave the country before getting enough credits, you do not lose the ones you have earned. You can return to work in the United States later to earn the rest you need.Some countries are in areas considered part of the United States. You are not classified as outside the United States if you have moved to Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands. You must have lived in other countries for more than 30 days to be classified as living in a foreign country.
Some Countries Have Agreements With the United States
The United States established a network with several countries under Totalization agreements. The purpose, the SSA says, is to prevent Americans living in those countries from being taxed double for Social Security benefits. The agreements also enable people who work in both countries to earn enough work credits to collect benefits when they become eligible. All countries that have signed the agreement are listed on the above link. Most of them are in Europe.If you live in one of these countries, you can also receive other government benefits. Besides Social Security benefits, FedWeek says you can also receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Medicare, and the Railroad Retirement Board.
Working Too Much Can Result in Withheld Benefits
Although working in another country is not a problem, working too many hours can cause problems. Fool says that your benefits will be withheld if you work more than 45 hours in a job that does not take out Social Security.Rules for Non-US Citizens
Non-U.S. citizens need to be descendants of someone qualified but are now deceased. The deceased must have been a railroad worker, a dependent or survivor, or be active in the military.
The Social Security Administration says non-U.S. citizens must return to the United States every six months. Once in this country, you must stay for 30 consecutive days. If you do not return, your benefits will stop and not get restarted until you meet this requirement.
To be reinstated, the non-U.S. citizen must be in the United States on the first minute of the first day of the month and stay through the last minute of the 30th day of that month. It may also be necessary to prove that you were in the country for the entire 30 days.
Benefits May Be Reduced Based on Income Limits
The same rules that apply to people receiving Social Security benefits in the United States also apply to citizens and residents outside the country. The income limits change every year. In 2024, people receiving benefits who have not yet reached full retirement age can earn up to $22,320. For every $2 earned above that amount, Social Security will reduce your benefits by $1.In the year you reach your full retirement age—and in the months up to your birth month—you can earn up to $59,520 in 2024. Social Security will reduce your benefits by $1 for every $3 earned above that amount. Once you reach your full retirement age, you can earn as much as you want without penalties.
If you have any questions about your Social Security benefits when you retire and leave the country for an extended period, contact the SSA office near you for the exact details of your situation. Some details may change, including the countries that accept Social Security payments by direct deposit.
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