Topic Hub

Social Security Abroad

Claiming, receiving, and reporting U.S. Social Security benefits while living outside the United States.

What this topic covers

Benefit payments, residency reporting, currency, and the interaction with a second country's system are separate questions with separate answers. This hub keeps them separate rather than blending them into a single conclusion.

Questions worth reviewing with a qualified professional

  • Where can benefits be paid, and in what currency?
  • How are benefits treated where the recipient lives?
  • What do totalization agreements address?
  • What documentation does the Social Security Administration require from abroad?

Related articles

Related guides

An orientation to the categories of U.S. assets that raise cross-border questions, and the order in which people usually review them.