How international agreements can help you

Your work overseas may help you to qualify for U.S. benefits if it was covered under a foreign Social Security system.

One of the main purposes of the international agreements is to help people who have worked in both the United States and the other country, but who have not worked long enough in one country or the other to qualify for Social Security benefits. Under the agreement, we can count your work credits in the other country if this will help you qualify for U.S. benefits. However, if you already have enough credit under U.S. Social Security to qualify for a benefit, we will not count your credits in the other country.

If we have to count your foreign work credits, you will receive a partial U.S. benefit that is related to the length of time you worked under U.S. Social Security. Although we may count your work credits in the other country, your credits are not actually transferred from that country to the United States. They remain on your record in the other country. It is therefore possible for you to qualify for a separate benefit payment from both countries.

For more information about the agreements, including details about specific agreements in force, read www.socialsecurity.gov/international/totalization_agreements.html.

If you will receive a pension from a foreign government based on your work, the amount of your Social Security benefit may be affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
 

For more information about other agreements, read How International Agreements Can Help You.