Social Security: Your Payments While You Are outside the United States by Social Security Administration - HTML preview

What happens to your right to Social Security payments when you are outside the United States

 

If you are a U .S . citizen, you  may receive your Social Security  payments outside the United States  as long as you are eligible.

 

However, there are some countries to which we cannot send payments . See pages 12 and 13 for more .

 

If you are a citizen of one of the  countries listed below, we will  continue your U.S. Social Security  payments as long as you are eligible,  no matter how long you stay outside  the United States:

 

• Austria

• Japan

• Belgium

• Korea (South)

• Canada

• Luxembourg

• Chile

• Netherlands

• Czech Republic

• Norway

• Finland

• Poland

• France

• Portugal

• Germany

• Spain

• Greece

• Sweden

• Ireland

• Switzerland

• Israel

• United Kingdom

• Italy

 

(This list of countries is subject to  change. For the latest information,  visit www.socialsecurity.gov/   international/countrylist1.htm or contact your nearest U.S. Social  Security office, U.S. Embassy  or consulate.)

 

If you are a citizen of one of the  countries listed below, you also  may get payments as long as you  are outside the United States unless you are receiving your payments as a dependent or survivor . In those cases, we require you meet additional  requirements. See pages 10 and 11  for more.

 

• Albania

• Iceland

• Antigua and Barbuda

• Jamaica

• Jordan

• Argentina

• Latvia

• Bahama Islands

• Liechtenstein

• Barbados

• Lithuania

• Belize

• Macedonia

• Bolivia

• Malta

• Bosnia-Herzegovina

• Marshall Islands

• Mexico

• Bulgaria

• Micronesia, Fed.

• Brazil

States of

• Burkina Faso

• Monaco

• Colombia

• Montenegro

• Costa Rica

• Nicaragua

• Côte d’Ivoire

• Palau

• Croatia

• Panama

• Cyprus

• Peru

• Dominica

• Philippines

• Dominican Republic

• Romania

• St. Kitts and Nevis

• Ecuador

• El Salvador

• St. Lucia

• Gabon

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Grenada

• Guatemala

• Samoa (formerly Western Samoa)

• Guyana

• Hungary

• San Marino

• Serbia

• Turkey

• Slovakia

• Uruguay

• Slovenia

• Venezuela

• Trinidad-Tobago

 

(This list of countries is subject to  change. For the latest information,  visit www.socialsecurity.gov/   international/countrylist2.htm or contact your nearest U.S. Social  Security office, U.S. Embassy  or consulate.)

 

If you are not a U .S . citizen or a citizen of one of the countries listed  on pages 5, 6 and 7, we will stop your  payments after you have been outside  the United States for six full calendar  months unless you meet one of the  following exceptions:

 

• You were eligible for monthly  Social Security benefits for  December 1956;

• You are in the active military or  naval service of the United States;

• The worker on whose record your  benefits are based had railroad work  treated as covered employment by  the Social Security program;

• The worker on whose record your  benefits are based died while in the  U.S. military service or as a result of  a service-connected disability and  was not dishonorably discharged; or

• You are a resident of a country  with which the United States has  a social security agreement.

 

Currently, these countries have a  social security agreement with the  United States:

 

• Australia

• Italy

• Austria

• Japan

• Belgium

• Korea (South)

• Canada

• Luxembourg

• Chile

• Netherlands

• Czech Republic

• Norway

• Denmark

• Poland

• Finland

• Portugal

• France

• Spain

• Germany

• Sweden

• Greece

• Switzerland

• Ireland

• United Kingdom

 

(This list of countries is subject  to change. For the latest information,  visit www.socialsecurity.gov/   international/countrylist3.htm  or contact your nearest  U.S. Social Security office,  U.S. Embassy or consulate.) However,  our agreements with Austria,  Belgium, Germany, Sweden and  Switzerland allow you to get benefits  as a dependent or survivor of a  worker while residing in the foreign  country. This is true only if:

 

• The worker is (or was at the time of  death) a U.S. citizen or a citizen of  your country of residence; or

• You are a citizen of one of the  countries listed on page 9, and the worker on whose record your  benefits are based lived in the  United States for at least 10 years  or earned at least 40 credits under  the U.S. Social Security system.  If you are getting benefits as a  dependent or survivor, see pages 10 and 11 for more requirements.

 

• Afghanistan

• Madagascar

• Australia

• Malawi

• Bangladesh

• Malaysia

• Bhutan

• Mali

• Botswana

• Mauritania

• Burma

• Mauritius

• Burundi

• Morocco

• Cameroon

• Nepal

• Cape Verde

• Nigeria

• Central African Republic

• Pakistan

• Senegal

• Sierra Leone

• Chad

• Singapore

• China

• Solomon Islands

• Congo, Rep. of

• Ethiopia

• Somalia

• Fiji

• South Africa

• Gambia

• Sri Lanka

• Ghana

• Sudan

• Haiti

• Swaziland

• Honduras

• Taiwan

• India

• Tanzania

• Indonesia

• Thailand

• Kenya

• Togo

• Laos

• Tonga

• Lebanon

• Tunisia

• Lesotho

• Uganda

• Liberia

• Yemen

 

(This list of countries is  subject to change. For the latest  information, visit   www.socialsecurity.gov/  international/countrylist4.htm or contact your nearest  U.S. Social Security office,  U.S. Embassy or consulate.)  If  you are not a citizen of one of the  countries listed on page 9, you cannot use this exception. 

 

If you are not a U.S. citizen and  none of these exceptions applies to you, we will stop your payments  after you have been outside the  United States for six full months.  Once this happens, we cannot start  your payments again until you come  back and stay in the United States for  a whole calendar month. You must  be in the United States on the first  minute of the first day of any month  and stay through the last minute  of the last day of that month. In  addition, we may ask you to prove  you have been lawfully present in the  United States for the full calendar  month. For more information,  contact the nearest U.S. Embassy,  consulate or Social Security office.

 

Additional residency requirements for dependents and survivors

 

If you receive benefits as a  dependent or survivor of a worker,  special requirements may affect  your right to get Social Security  payments while you are outside  the United States. If you are not a  U.S. citizen, you must have lived  in the United States for at least five  years. During those five years, the  family relationship on which we  base benefits must have continued  to exist.

 

Children may meet this residency  requirement on their own or may  be considered to have met it if the  worker and other parent (if any) meet  it. However, we will not pay children  who were adopted outside the United  States while they reside outside the  United States, even if the child has  met the residency requirement.

 

The residency requirement does  not apply if you meet any of the  following conditions:

 

• You were initially eligible  for monthly benefits before  January 1, 1985;

• Your entitlement is based on the  record of a worker who died during  U.S. military service or as a result  of a service-connected disease  or injury;

• You are a citizen of a country  page 5 lists; or

• You are a resident of a country that  has a social security agreement  with the United States. Page 8  lists these countries.

 

Countries to which we cannot send payments U .S . Treasury regulations

 

U.S. Department of the Treasury  regulations prohibit making  payments if you are in Cuba or  North Korea. If you are a U.S. citizen  in Cuba or North Korea, you can get  all the payments we withheld once  you go to a country where we can  send payments. Generally, if you are  not a U.S. citizen, you cannot receive  payments for months in which you  lived in Cuba or North Korea, even if  you go to another country and satisfy  all other requirements.

 

Social Security restrictions

 

Generally, Social Security cannot  send payments to individuals  in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,  Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,  Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Also,  we cannot send your payments to  anyone else for you. However, we  make exceptions for some eligible  beneficiaries in countries with Social  Security restrictions in place.

 

To qualify for an exception, you  must agree to the conditions of  payment. One of the conditions is  that you must appear in person at the  U.S. Embassy each month to pick up  your benefit payments. Contact your  nearest U.S. Social Security office,  U.S. Embassy or consulate for more  information about these conditions  and whether you might qualify for an  exception.

 

If you do not qualify for payment  under this process, we will send all  the withheld payments you were  eligible for once you leave that  country and go to one where we can  send payments.

 

What you need to do to protect your right to benefits

 

When you live outside the United  States, periodically we will send  you a questionnaire. Your answers  will help us figure out if you still  are eligible for benefits. Return the  questionnaire to the office that sent  it as soon as possible. If you do not,  your payments will stop.

 

In addition to responding to the  questionnaire, notify us promptly  about changes that could affect your  payments. If you fail to report or  deliberately make a false statement,  you could be penalized by a fine or  imprisonment. You also may lose  some of your payments if you do not  report changes promptly.

 

Things you must report

 

Listed below are things you  must report to Social Security. An  explanation of each is given on the  following pages:

 

Page 15 Change of address

Page 16 Work outside the  United States

Page 20 If you return to work or your  disability improves

Page 21 Marriage

Page 21 Divorce or annulment

Page 21 Adoption of a child

Page 22 Child leaves the care of a  spouse or surviving spouse

Page 22 Child nearing age 18 is a  full-time student or disabled

Page 23 Death

Page 23 Inability to manage funds

Page 23 Deportation or removal from  the United States

Page 24 Changes in parental  Circumstances

Page 24 Eligibility for a pension  from work not covered by  Social Security

 

How to report

 

You can report by contacting us  in person, by mail or by telephone.  If you live in the British Virgin  Islands, Canada or Samoa, you can  send your report to the nearest  U.S. Social Security office.

 

In all other countries, send  your report to the nearest U.S.  Embassy or consulate. Visit   www.socialsecurity.gov/foreign  for a complete list of offices.

 

If you find it easier to contact  us by mail, send your report by  airmail to:

 

Social Security Administration

P.O. Box 17769

Baltimore, MD 21235-7769

USA

 

When you contact us, include:

 

• The name of the person or persons  about whom the report was made;

• What is being reported and the date  it happened; and

• The claim number that appears  on letters or other correspondence  we send you. (This is a nine-digit  number—000-00-0000—followed  by a letter or a letter and a number.)

 

Change of address

 

Tell us if your address changes  so your checks will not be lost or  delayed. Even if we are sending  your payments to a bank or another  financial institution, report any  change in your home address.

 

When you write to the  U.S. Embassy, consulate or the  Social Security Administration about  a change of address, please type or  print your new address carefully. Be  sure to include the country and ZIP  or postal code. Also, list the names  of all family members moving to the  new address.

 

Work outside the United States

 

If you work or own a business  outside the United States and are  younger than full retirement age,  notify the nearest U.S. Embassy,  consulate or Social Security office  right away. If you do not, you could  be penalized, which may cause you  to lose benefits. These lost benefits  would be in addition to benefits you  may lose under one of the work tests  explained in the following pages.

 

For people born in 1937 or earlier,  full retirement age is 65. Beginning  with people born in 1938, full  retirement age increases gradually  until it reaches age 67 for those born  in 1960 or later.

 

Report your work to Social  Security even if you work only  part-time or you are self-employed.  Some examples of the types of  work you must report include:  work as an apprentice, farmer, sales  representative, tutor, writer, etc. If  you own a business, notify us even  if you do not work in the business or  make any income from it.

 

If a child beneficiary (regardless  of age) begins an apprenticeship,  notify the nearest U.S. Embassy,  consulate or the Social Security  Administration. We may consider an  apprenticeship work under the Social  Security program.

 

The following work tests may  affect the amount of your monthly  benefit payment. Work after full  retirement age will not affect your  benefit payments.

 

 The foreign work test

 

We withhold benefits for each  month a beneficiary younger than  full retirement age works more than  45 hours outside the United States  in employment or self-employment  not subject to U.S. Social Security  taxes. It does not matter how much  you earned or how many hours you  worked each day.

 

We consider a person to be  working any day he or she:

• Works as an employee or  self-employed person;

• Has an agreement to work even if  the person does not actually work  because of sickness, vacation, etc.; or

• Is the owner or part owner of  a trade or business, even if the  person does not actually work in  the trade or business, or the person  does not make any income from it.

 

Generally, if we withhold a retired  worker’s benefits because of work, we  also cannot pay benefits to anyone  else who gets benefits on the retired  worker’s record for those months.  However, the work of others who  get benefits on the worker’s record  affects only their own benefits.

 

 The annual retirement test

 

Under certain conditions, U.S.  citizens or residents who work outside  the United States are covered by U.S.  Social Security. If U.S. Social Security  covers your work, the same annual  retirement test that applies to people  in the United States applies to you.  

 

NOTE: Work by some U.S.   citizens and residents outside   the country is exempt from U.S.   Social Security taxes because the   United States has international   social security agreements with   the following countries:

 

• Australia

• Italy

• Austria

• Japan

• Belgium

• Korea (South)

• Canada

• Luxembourg

• Chile

• Netherlands

• Czech Republic

• Norway

• Denmark

• Poland

• Finland

• Portugal

• France

• Spain

• Germany

• Sweden

• Greece

• Switzerland

• Ireland

• United Kingdom

 

(This list of countries is subject to  change. For the latest information,  visit www.socialsecurity.gov/  international/countrylist5.htm or contact your nearest U.S. Social  Security office, U.S. Embassy  or consulate.)

 

If you are working in one of these  countries and your earnings are  exempt from U.S. Social Security  taxes because of the agreement, your  benefits will be subject to the foreign  work test described on page 17.  For further information about how  your benefits may be affected by  an agreement, contact the nearest  U.S. Embassy, consulate or Social  Security office.

 

If the U.S. Social Security program  covers your work, you can get all  benefits due for the year if your  earnings do not exceed the annual  exempt amount. This limit changes  each year. To find out the current  limit, ask any U.S. Embassy, consulate  or Social Security office. Or, write to  the address shown under “How to  report” on pages 14 and 15.

 

If your earnings go over the limit,  we will reduce some or all of your  benefits by your earnings.

 

• If you are younger than full  retirement age, we withhold $1 in  benefits for each $2 in earnings  above the limit.

• In the year you reach full retirement  age, we will reduce your benefits  by $1 for every $3 you earn  above a different annual limit  until the month you reach full  retirement age.

 

Count your earnings for the whole  year to figure the amount of benefits  due you. For most people, this means  earnings from January through  December.

 

People who reach full retirement  age can get all of their benefits with  no limit on earnings.

 

 The year your benefits start

 

To figure your total earnings for  the year in which you first become  entitled to benefits, count your  earnings for the months before and  after you became entitled.

 

 The year you reach age 18

 

Your benefits as a child stop at age  18 unless you are a full-time student  in an elementary or secondary  school, or you are disabled. We count  your earnings for the entire year in  which you reach age 18 to figure  the amount of benefits due you for  the year. We do this regardless of  whether your payments continue or  stop at age 18.

 

If you return to work or your disability improves

 

If you get payments because you  are disabled, let us know right away  if your condition improves and you  go back to work. We will continue  to send you payments for up to nine  months when you go back to work.  This nine-month “trial work period”  gives you a chance to test whether  you are able to work without worrying  about payments being stopped. If, after  nine months, you continue working,  we will continue to pay you for three  more months.  If you are not able to keep working  after the trial work period, you will  continue to get disability benefits.

 

Marriage

 

Let us know if anyone who gets  benefits gets married. In some cases,  Social Security payments stop after  marriage. In other cases, the payment  amount changes. This depends on  the type of benefits you get and,  sometimes, on whether your new  spouse gets payments.

 

Divorce or annulment

 

Notify us if your marriage is  annulled or you get a divorce.  Divorce or annulment does not  necessarily mean we will stop your  Social Security payments . If you are  getting payments based on your own  work record, divorce or annulment  of your marriage will not affect your  payments. Also, if you are a spouse  age 62 or older and you were married  to the worker for 10 years or more,  we will continue your payments even  if you divorce. Contact us if your  name has changed so your new name  will appear on your payments.

 

Adoption of a child

 

When you adopt a child, tell us  the child’s new name, the adoption  decree date, and the adopting parents’  names and addresses.

 

Child leaves the care of a spouse or surviving spouse

 

If you are a spouse or surviving  spouse receiving benefits because  you are caring for a child who is  under age 16 or who was disabled  before age 22, notify us right away if  the child leaves your care. If you do  not, you could be penalized and lose  additional benefits.

 

A temporary separation may not  affect your benefits as long as you  still have parental control over the  child. Tell us if you or your child  moves to another residence or if  you no longer are responsible for the  child. If the child returns to your  care, tell us that as well.

 

Child nearing age 18 is a full-time student or is disabled

 

We will stop payments to a child  when the child reaches age 18 unless  the child is unmarried, and either  disabled or a full-time student at an  elementary or secondary school.

 

If a child age 18 or over gets  payments as a student, notify us  immediately if the student:

 

• Drops out of school;

• Changes schools;

• Changes from full-time to  part-time attendance;

• Gets expelled or suspended;

• Is paid by his or her employer for  attending school;

• Marries; or

• Begins working.

 

If a child whose payments were  stopped at age 18 becomes disabled  before age 22, or is unmarried and  enters elementary or secondary  school on a full-time basis before age  19, notify us. We then will resume  payments to the child. Also, we can  start payments again if a child who  recovered from a disability becomes  disabled again within seven years.

 

Death

 

If a person who gets Social  Security benefits dies, we do not pay  benefits for the month of death.  For example, if a beneficiary dies  any time in June, someone must  return the payment dated July (June  payment) to Social Security.

 

Inability to manage funds

 

Some people who get Social  Security payments cannot manage  their money. If that is the case,  the beneficiary’s caretaker should  let us know. We can arrange to  send the payments to a relative or  other person to act on behalf of the  beneficiary. We call this person a  “representative payee.”

 

Deportation or removal from the United States

 

If you are deported or removed  from the United States for certain  reasons, we will stop your Social  Security benefits. We cannot restart  your payments unless you are  lawfully admitted to the United  States for permanent residence.

 

Even if you are deported or  removed, your dependents can get  benefits if they are U.S. citizens. If  not, we will continue to pay your  dependents’ benefits if they stay  in the United States for the entire  month. But we will not pay them  benefits for any month if they spend  any part of that month outside the  United States.

 

Changes in parental Circumstances

 

We may stop or start payments  to a child who is not a U.S. citizen  when certain changes occur. Let  us know when the child’s natural,  adoptive or stepparent dies,  marries or gets divorced (or has an  annulment), even if that person does  not receive Social Security payments.

 

Eligibility for a pension from work not covered by Social Security

 

Your U.S. Social Security benefit  may be smaller if you become  entitled to a U.S. Social Security  retirement or disability benefit, and  then start to get a monthly pension,  such as foreign social security or a  private pension, based, in whole or  in part, on work not covered by U.S.  Social Security. When this is the  case, we may use a different formula  to figure your U.S. Social Security  benefit. For more information, ask  any U.S. Embassy, consulate or Social  Security office for the publication

 

 Windfall Elimination Provision (Publication No. 05-10045).

 

If your check is lost or stolen

 

It usually takes longer to deliver  checks outside the United States.  Delivery time varies from country  to countr