Social Security benefits abroad: the basics
If you are a US citizen, you can generally receive Social Security benefits while living in most foreign countries. The Social Security Administration (SSA) can send payments to most countries via international direct deposit to a local bank account, or you can maintain a US bank account and access your funds from abroad.
However, there are important exceptions and complications depending on your citizenship status, destination country, and whether you receive foreign pensions.
Totalization agreements explained
The United States has bilateral Social Security agreements (called “totalization agreements”) with 31 countries. These agreements serve two primary purposes:
- Eliminate dual taxation: Without an agreement, you might have to pay Social Security taxes to both the US and the country where you work. Totalization agreements ensure you only pay into one system at a time.
- Count foreign work credits: If you worked in a totalization country and earned credits there, those credits can count toward your US Social Security eligibility (and vice versa). This is particularly valuable if you don't have enough US credits alone to qualify for benefits.
The 31 totalization countries are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania (from 1 September 2026), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
Countries where payments are not sent
Treasury regulations bar payments to Cuba and North Korea. No payment is sent while you are there, however short the stay. If you are a US citizen, SSA holds the payments and you can receive them once you move to a country where payments can be sent; a non-citizen does not receive them for those months.
SSA also restricts payments to seven former Soviet states: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. SSA generally cannot send payments to people in one of them, US citizen or not, although it can make exceptions for certain eligible people (SSA Publication No. 05-10137). Other former Soviet states, such as Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, are not on either list.
Medicare does not travel with you
This is the most commonly overlooked fact about retiring abroad: Medicare does NOT cover healthcare outside the United States, except in very limited emergency situations near US borders. If you retire to Portugal, Thailand, Mexico, or any other country, you cannot use Medicare there.
Your healthcare options abroad include:
- Private international health insurance: Cigna Global, Allianz Care, GeoBlue, and other providers offer expat health plans typically costing $150–$500/month depending on your age, coverage level, and destination.
- Local healthcare systems: Many countries allow expats to enroll in their public or social healthcare systems, often at significantly lower costs than US healthcare. Portugal, Spain, Thailand, and Mexico all have well-regarded healthcare options for retirees.
- Self-pay with travel insurance: In countries with low healthcare costs (Thailand, Mexico, Colombia), some retirees pay out-of-pocket for routine care and carry travel insurance for emergencies.
Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP): repealed
The WEP was a formula that reduced your US Social Security benefit if you also received a pension from employment not covered by Social Security — including many foreign pensions, US federal government pensions (for workers hired before 1984), and some state/local government pensions. The Social Security Fairness Act (P.L. 118-273), signed January 5, 2025, repealed the WEP for benefits payable after December 2023.
The historical maximum reduction was $587/month in 2024. Because the WEP is now repealed, a foreign pension no longer reduces your US Social Security benefit at all — regardless of your years of substantial earnings.
If your benefit was reduced by WEP before 2024, you are owed a recalculation and retroactive back payments. For people already receiving benefits, SSA reported finishing these automatically in July 2025, but it is worth confirming with SSA — or the Federal Benefits Unit at your nearest US embassy — that your benefit has been updated.
Frequently asked questions
Can I receive Social Security benefits if I live outside the United States?
In most cases, yes. US citizens can receive benefits in most countries. No payments are sent while you are in Cuba, North Korea or seven former Soviet states that SSA restricts, and non-citizens can lose payments after six months outside the US unless an exception applies.
What is a Social Security totalization agreement?
A bilateral treaty that prevents dual Social Security taxation and allows work credits earned in one country to count toward eligibility in the other. The US has agreements with 31 countries.
Does Medicare cover healthcare outside the United States?
No. Medicare generally does not cover healthcare abroad, except in rare emergency situations near US borders. You will need private international health insurance or local healthcare enrollment.
What is the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)?
A formula that used to reduce your SS benefit by up to $587/month (2024) if you received a pension from work not covered by Social Security. It was repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act for benefits payable after December 2023, so it no longer reduces your benefit — and anyone reduced by it before 2024 is owed a retroactive adjustment.
Which countries can I NOT receive Social Security payments in?
Cuba and North Korea (barred by Treasury regulations), and Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (restricted by SSA, with exceptions for some beneficiaries). This applies to US citizens too.