Q & A
What are the rules for getting Social Security benefits outside of the United States?
Answer: I’ve been saving up some questions from readers who either live, or plan to live, outside the United States. Of course, all of their questions have to do with their eligibility for Social Security benefits.
Before I go any further, I am going to point out that the rules regarding getting Social Security benefits overseas can be quite complicated, especially for people who are not U.S. citizens but who are living here legally and who worked and paid Social Security taxes in the U.S., or who are married to someone who did. There are so many variables to their potential eligibility for benefits that I can never be 100 percent sure I am giving them accurate information.
That’s why I always refer people in these situations to a booklet the Social Security Administration produces called “Social Security — Your Payments While You Are Outside The United States.” Here is a link to that pamphlet: www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf. If you are considering moving to another country, you definitely need to read that booklet.
But I will take a stab at these questions anyway. Read more…
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