An agreement effective November 1, 1980, between the United States and Switzerland improves Social Security protection for people who work or have worked in both countries. It helps many people who, without the agreement, would not be eligible for monthly retirement, disability or survivors benefits under the Social Security system of one or both countries. It also helps people who would otherwise have to pay Social Security taxes to both countries on the same earnings.

The agreement covers Social Security taxes (including the U.S. Medicare portion) and Social Security retirement, disability and survivors insurance benefits. It does not cover benefits under the U.S. Medicare program or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

This document covers highlights of the agreement and explains how it may help you while you work and when you apply for benefits.

The agreement may help you, your family and your employer

While you work–If your work is covered by both the U.S. and Swiss Social Security systems, you (and your employer, if you are employed) would normally have to pay Social Security taxes to both countries for the same work. However, the agreement eliminates this double coverage so you pay taxes to only one system (see Part II).

When you apply for benefits–You may have some Social Security credits in both the U.S. and Switzerland but not have enough to be eligible for benefits in one country or the other. The agreement makes it easier to qualify for benefits by letting you add together your Social Security credits in both countries. For more details, see the section on "Monthly benefits" in Part IV.

Part II -- Coverage and Social Security taxes

Before the agreement, employees, employers and self-employed people could, under certain circumstances, be required to pay Social Security taxes to both the United States and Switzerland for the same work.

Under the agreement, if you work as an employee in the United States, you normally will be covered by the United States, and you and your employer will pay Social Security taxes only to the United States. If you work as an employee in Switzerland, you normally will be covered by Switzerland, and you and your employer pay Social Security taxes only to Switzerland.

On the other hand, if your employer sends you from one country to work for that employer or an affiliate in the other country for five years or less, you will continue to be covered by your home country and you will be exempt from coverage in the other country. For example, if a U.S. company sends an employee to work for that employer or an affiliate in Switzerland for no more than five years, the employer and the employee will continue to pay only U.S. Social Security taxes and will not have to pay in Switzerland.

If you are self-employed and reside in the United States or Switzerland, you generally will be covered and taxed only by the country where you reside.

Summary of agreement rules

The following table shows whether your work is covered under the U.S. or Swiss Social Security system. If you are covered under U.S. Social Security, you and your employer (if you are an employee) must pay U.S. Social Security taxes. If you are covered under the Swiss system, you and your employer (if you are an employee) must pay Swiss Social Security taxes. Part III explains how to get a form from the country where you are covered that will prove you are exempt in the other country.

Your work status	Coverage and taxes
*You are working in Switzerland:*
For a U.S. employer who:
Sent you to work in Switzerland for five years or less	U.S.
Sent you to work in Switzerland for more than five years	Switzerland
Hired you in Switzerland	Switzerland
For a non-U.S. employer	Switzerland
For the U.S. government and you are a:
U.S. national	U.S. (either Social Security or federal retirement program
Swiss national	Switzerland
*You are working in the U.S.:*
For an employer in Switzerland who:
Sent you to work in the U.S. for five years or less	Switzerland
Sent you to work in the U.S. for more than five years	U.S.
Hired you in the U.S.	U.S.
For a non-Swiss employer	U.S.
For the Swiss government and you are a:
Swiss national	Switzerland
U.S. national	U.S.
*You are self-employed and you:*
Reside in the U.S.	U.S.
Reside in Switzerland	Switzerland
*If this table doesn't seem to describe your situation and you are:*
Working in the U.S.	Write to the U.S. address in Part III.A below for further information.
Working in Switzerland	Write to the Swiss address in Part VIII below for further information.

NOTE: As the table indicates, a U.S. worker employed in Switzerland can be covered by U.S. Social Security only if he or she works for a U.S. employer. A U.S. employer includes a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or any state, a partnership if at least two-thirds of the partners are U.S. residents, an individual who is a resident of the U.S. or a trust if all the trustees are U.S. residents. The term also includes a foreign affiliate of a U.S. employer if the U.S. employer has entered into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service under section 3121(l) of the Internal Revenue Code to pay Social Security taxes for U.S. citizens and residents employed by the affiliate.

Part III -- Certificate of coverage

A certificate of coverage issued by one country serves as proof of exemption from Social Security taxes on the same earnings in the other country.

III.A. Certificates for employees

To establish an exemption from compulsory coverage and taxes under the Swiss system, your employer must request a certificate of coverage (form USA/CH 10) from the U.S. at this address:

Social Security Administration
Office of International Programs
P.O. Box 17741
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7741
U.S.A.

If preferred, the request may be sent by FAX to (410) 966-1861. Please note this FAX number should only be used for requesting certificates of coverage.

No special form is required to request a certificate, but, the request must be in writing and provide the following information:

-Full name of worker;
-Date and place of birth;
-Citizenship;
-Country of worker's permanent residence;
-U.S. Social Security number;
-Date of hire;
-Country of hire;
-Name and address of the employer in the U.S. and Switzerland; and
-Date of transfer and anticipated date of return.

In addition, your employer must indicate if you remain an employee of the U.S. company while working in Switzerland or if you become an employee of the U.S. company’s affiliate in Switzerland. If you become an employee of an affiliate, your employer must indicate if the U.S. company has an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service under section 3121(l) of the Internal Revenue Code to pay U.S. Social Security taxes for U.S. citizens and residents employed by the affiliate and, if yes, the effective date of the agreement.

Your employer can also request a certificate of U.S. coverage for you over the Internet using a special online request form available at www.socialsecurity.gov/coc. Only an employer can use the online form to request a certificate of coverage. A self-employed person must submit a request by mail or fax.

To establish your exemption from coverage under the U.S. Social Security system, your employer in Switzerland must request a certificate of coverage (form CH/USA 10) from the compensation fund in Switzerland that collects your Social Security taxes in Switzerland.

The same information required for a certificate of coverage from the United States is needed to get a certificate from Switzerland except that you must show your Swiss Social Security number rather than your U.S. Social Security number.

III.B. Certificates for self-employed people

If you are self-employed and would normally have to pay Social Security taxes to both the U.S. and Swiss systems, you can establish your exemption from one of the taxes by writing to:

If you reside in the United States, the U.S. Social Security Administration at the address in Part III.A above; or

If you reside in Switzerland, the Swiss compensation fund of the canton in which you reside.

Be sure to provide the following information in your letter:

-Full name;
-Date and place of birth;
-Citizenship;
-Country of permanent residence;
-U.S. and/or Swiss Social Security number;
-Nature of self-employment activity;
-Dates the activity was or will be performed; and
-Name and address of your trade or business in both countries.

III.C. Effective date of coverage exemption

The certificate of coverage you receive from one country will show the effective date of your exemption from paying Social Security taxes in the other country. Generally, this will be the date you began working in the other country.

Certificates of coverage issued by Switzerland should be retained by the employer in the United States in case of an audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). No copies should be sent to IRS unless specifically requested by IRS. However, a self-employed person must attach a photocopy of the certificate to his or her income tax return each year as proof of the U.S. exemption.

Copies of certificates of coverage issued by the United States will be provided for both the employee and the employer. It will be their responsibility to present the certificate to the Swiss authorities when requested to do so. To avoid any difficulties, your employer (or you, if you are self-employed) should request a certificate as early as possible, preferably before your work in the other country begins.

If you or your employer request a certificate of coverage, you should read the Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act statements below.

Authority to collect information for a certificate of coverage

Privacy Act

The Privacy Act requires us to notify you that we are authorized to collect this information by section 233 of the Social Security Act. While it is not mandatory for you to furnish the information to the Social Security Administration (SSA), a certificate of coverage cannot be issued unless a request has been received. The information is needed to enable SSA to determine if work should be covered only under the U.S. Social Security system in accordance with an international agreement. Without the certificate, work may be subject to taxation under both the U.S. and the foreign Social Security systems.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice

This information collection meets the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. section 3507, as amended by section 2 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. You are not required to answer these questions unless we display a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. We estimate that it will take you about 30 minutes to read the instructions, gather the necessary facts, and write down the information to request a certificate of coverage.

Part IV -- Monthly benefits

The following table shows the various types of Social Security benefits payable under the U.S. and Swiss Social Security systems and briefly describes the eligibility requirements that normally apply for each type of benefit. If you do not meet the normal requirements for these benefits, the agreement may help you to qualify (see Part IV.A below).

This table is only a general guide. You can get more specific information about U.S. benefits here on our web site or at any U.S. Social Security office or by calling our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213. You can get more detailed information about the Swiss system by writing to the Swiss address in Part VIII or by visiting the Swiss Social Security system’s web site at www.bsv.admin.ch.

Under U.S. Social Security, you may earn up to four credits each year depending on the amount of your covered earnings. For example, in 2005, you get one credit for each $920 of your covered annual earnings up to a maximum of four credits for the year. Under the Swiss system, credits are measured in months. To simplify the information in the table, requirements are shown in years of credits.

Monthly benefits and eligibility requirements

Retirement or old-age benefits
United States	Switzerland
Worker-Full benefit at full retirement age, or reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from one and one-half to 10 years (10 years if 62 in 1991 or later).	Worker-Full benefit at age 65 for men or reduced benefit as early as age 63. Full benefit for women at age 63 increasing to age 64 in 2005 or reduced benefit as early as age 62. One year of coverage required if a Swiss citizen or resident. Ten years of coverage required if neither a citizen nor a resident of Switzerland.
Disability benefits
United States	Switzerland
Worker-Under full retirement age can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. One and one-half to 10 years credit needed, depending on age at date of onset. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind.	Worker-Under retirement age and at least 40 percent disabled. Must be insured at the time the disability occurs. Workers who are not Swiss citizens must also reside in Switzerland and either have at least one year of Swiss coverage or have resided in Switzerland for 10 years without interruption.
Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people
United States	Switzerland
Spouse-Full benefit at full retirement age or at any age if caring for the worker's entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 62 if not caring for a child.	Spouse-No provision. However, a supplement may be paid to a disabled worker whose spouse is not entitled to a retirement or disability benefit and has at least one year of Swiss coverage or resides in Switzerland.
Divorced Spouse-Full benefit at full retirement age. Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Must be unmarried and have been married to worker for at least 10 years.	Divorced Spouse-No provision.
Children-If unmarried, up to age 18 (age 19 if in an elementary or secondary school full time) or any age if disabled before age 22.	Children-Additional pension paid to worker if child is under age 19 (age 26 if in school).
Survivors benefits
United States	Switzerland
Widow-Full benefit at full retirement age or at any age if caring for the deceased's entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) if not caring for child. Benefits may be continued if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled).	Widow-Monthly benefits if caring for a child under age 19 (age 26 if in school) or at least age 45 and marriage lasted at least five years. If under age 45 and not caring for a child, but marriage lasted five years, a flat one-time payment is made.
Widower-Same as widow.	Widower-Any age if caring for a child of the worker under age 19 (age 26 if a student).
Divorced widow or widower-Same as widow or widower if marriage lasted at least 10 years.	Divorced widow or widower-Any age if caring for a child under age 18 or there are one or more children (regardless of age) and marriage lasted at least 10 years. Age 45 if youngest child has reached age 18 or, if no children, marriage lasted at least 10 years.
Children-Same as for children of retired or disabled worker.	Children-Under age 19 (age 26 if a student) and, if the worker was the mother, she must have been covered under the Swiss system at time of death.
Lump-Sum Death Benefit-A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker.	Lump-Sum Death Benefit-No provision.

IV.A. How benefits can be paid

If you have Social Security credits in both the United States and Switzerland, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country’s system, you will get a regular benefit from that country. If you do not meet the basic requirements, the agreement may help you qualify for a benefit as explained below.

IV.A.1. Benefits from the U.S

If you do not have enough work credits under the U.S. system to qualify for regular benefits, you may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from the United States based on both U.S. and Swiss credits. However, to be eligible to have your Swiss credits counted, you must have earned at least six credits (generally one and one-half years of work) under the U.S. system. If you already have enough credits under the U.S. system to qualify for a benefit, the United States cannot count your Swiss credits.

IV.A.2. Benefits from Switzerland

Under the agreement, if you are a U.S. citizen, you can qualify for Swiss retirement and survivors benefits with just one year of Swiss coverage. (Before the agreement, U.S. citizens needed at least five years of Swiss coverage to qualify.) Therefore, credits under the U.S. system will not be counted when determining eligibility for Swiss retirement and survivors benefits.

To qualify for Swiss disability benefits, you would normally need one year of Swiss coverage and also need to be covered by the Swiss system at the time you become disabled. If you do not meet the current coverage requirements for Swiss disability benefits, the agreement can help you qualify if you have recent U.S. credits (or are receiving U.S. benefits) at the time you become disabled.

IV.B. How credits get counted

You do not have to do anything to have your credits in one country counted by the other country. If we need to count your credits under the Swiss system to help you qualify for a U.S. benefit, we will get a copy of your Swiss record directly from Switzerland when you apply for benefits. If Swiss officials need to count your U.S. credits to help you qualify for a Swiss benefit, they will get a copy of your U.S. record directly from the Social Security Administration when you apply for the Swiss benefit.

Although each country may count your credits in the other country, your credits are not actually transferred from one country to the other. They remain on your record in the country where you earned them and also can be used to qualify for benefits there.

IV.C. Computation of U.S. benefit under the agreement

When a U.S. benefit becomes payable as a result of counting both U.S. and Swiss Social Security credits, an initial benefit is determined based on your U.S. earnings as if your entire career had been completed under the U.S. system. This initial benefit is then reduced to reflect the fact that Swiss credits helped to make the benefit payable. The amount of the reduction will depend on the number of U.S. credits: the more U.S. credits, the smaller the reduction; and the fewer U.S. credits, the larger the reduction.

Part V -- A Swiss pension may affect your U.S. benefit

If you qualify for Social Security benefits from both the United States and Switzerland and you did not need the agreement to qualify for either benefit, the amount of your U.S. benefit may be reduced. This is a result of a provision in U.S. law that can affect the way your benefit is figured if you also receive a pension based on work that was not covered by U.S. Social Security. For more information, call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, and get the publication, Windfall Elimination Provision (Publication #05-10045). If you are outside the United States, you may write to us at the address in Part VIII.

Part VI -- What you need to know about Medicare

Medicare is the U.S. national health insurance system for people age 65 or older or who are disabled. Medicare has two parts: hospital insurance (also called "Part A" Medicare) and medical insurance (called "Part B" Medicare). You are eligible for free hospital insurance at age 65 if you have worked long enough under U.S. Social Security to qualify for a retirement benefit. People born in 1929 or later need 40 credits (about 10 years of covered work) to qualify for retirement benefits.

Although the agreement between the United States and Switzerland allows the Social Security Administration to count your Swiss credits to help you qualify for U.S. retirement, disability or survivor benefits, the agreement does not cover Medicare benefits. As a result, we cannot count your credits in Switzerland to establish entitlement to free Medicare hospital insurance.

For more information about Medicare, call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, and get the publication, Medicare (Publication #05-10043) or visit Medicare’s website at www.medicare.gov.

Part VII --Claims for benefits

If you live in the United States and wish to apply for U.S. or Swiss benefits:

Visit or write any U.S. Social Security office; or
Phone our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. any business day. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.

You can apply for Swiss benefits at any U.S. Social Security office by completing an application form SSA-2490.

If you live in Switzerland and wish to apply for U.S. or Swiss benefits, contact:

The Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Bern (phone 31-357-7235) to file for U.S. benefits; or
The compensation fund in the canton where you live (or one of its local branch offices) to file for Swiss benefits.

You can apply with one country and ask to have your application considered as a claim for benefits from the other country. Information from your application will then be sent to the other country. Each country will process the claim under its own laws—counting credits from the other country when appropriate—and notify you of its decision.

If you have not applied for benefits before, you may need to provide certain information and documents when you apply. These include the worker’s U.S. and Swiss Social Security numbers, proof of age for all claimants, evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months and information about the worker’s coverage under the Swiss system. You may wish to call the Social Security office before you go there to see if any other information is needed.

VII.A. Payment of benefits

Each country pays its own benefit. U.S. payments are made by the U.S. Department of Treasury each month and cover benefits for the preceding month. Payments under the Swiss system are paid by the Swiss Compensation Office early each month and cover benefits for that month.

VII.B Absence from U.S. territory

Normally, persons who are not U.S. citizens may receive U.S. Social Security benefits while outside the U.S. only if they meet certain requirements. Under the agreement, however, if you are a U.S. or Swiss citizen, a refugee, a stateless person, or a person who is eligible for dependents or survivors benefits based on the Social Security record of one of these people, you may receive benefits as long as you reside in Switzerland. If you are not a U.S. or Swiss citizen and live in another country, you may not be able to receive benefits. The restrictions on U.S. benefits are explained in the publication, "Your Payments While You Are Outside The United States" (Publication #05-10137).

VII.C Appeals

If you disagree with the decision made on your claim for benefits under the agreement, contact any U.S. or Swiss Social Security office. The people there can tell you what you need to do to appeal the decision.

The Swiss Social Security authorities will review your appeal if it affects your rights under the Swiss system, while U.S. Social Security authorities will review your appeal if it affects your rights under the U.S. system. Since each country’s decisions are made independently of the other, a decision by one country on a particular issue may not always conform with the decision made by the other country on the same issue.

Part VIII -- For more information

To file a claim for U.S. or Swiss benefits under the agreement, follow the instructions in Part VII.

To find out more about U.S. Social Security benefits or for information about a claim for benefits, contact any U.S. Social Security office. If you live outside the United States, write to:

Social Security Administration
OIO—Totalization
P.O. Box 17769
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7769
U.S.A.

For more information about Switzerland’s Social Security programs, write to the compensation fund in the canton where you live or one of its local branch offices. If you do not live in Switzerland, write to:

Office fédéral des
assurances sociales
Affaires internationales
Efferingerstrasse 33
CH-3003 Berne
SWITZERLAND

If you do not wish to file a claim for benefits, but would like more information about the agreement, write to:

Social Security Administration
Office of International Programs
P.O. Box 17741
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7741
U.S.A.


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