If you’re an American citizen, but you live or plan to move to another country, you can keep receiving your Social Security benefits. Many people don’t know that retirement, disability, or survivor payments don’t automatically stop if you’re out of the U.S. However, there are some rules and steps you must follow to make sure you keep receiving your money with no trouble. So, let’s see what you have to do, so that you don’t lose your benefits.
Social Security benefits while living out of the U.S.
Most American citizens can receive their Social Security payments even if they visit or live in a different country. To make sure you receive them, you need to check if you are eligible to be a beneficiary, how to apply for the benefits, and who to hire if you need help.
The SSA Payments Abroad Screening Tool is an official tool that will help you know if your benefits:
- Will continue indefinitely.
- Will stop after six months.
- Have country-specific restrictions.
Using this tool is the first step to make sure you continue receiving your payments with no interruptions.
How to use work credits from another country
If you worked out of the U.S., it’s possible that you don’t have enough work credits in the U.S.. to be eligible for disabled or retirement benefits. In this case, your work credits from a different country could help you be eligible, but only if the country where you worked has a benefits agreement with the United States.
These agreements allow the work you’ve done outside the U.S. to count toward your Social Security benefits, making it easier to receive payments even if part of your career was abroad.
How to apply and manage your benefits from abroad
If you live out of the U.S., you can apply Social Security benefits online. The Social Security Administration (SSA) payments are made by direct deposit, which you can set up:
- Through a U.S. financial institution.
- Through a bank in a country that has an international direct deposit agreement with the U.S.
The SSA provides a list of the countries and territories where direct deposit is available, making it easier to manage your benefits from anywhere in the world.
Keep your benefits active
Once you start receiving your benefits from abroad, the SSA will send you a questionnaire every one or two years. This questionnaire is useful to verify that you keep meeting the requirement to receive the payments.
If you don’t answer on time, the SSA could stop your benefits. So, now you know how important it is to answer this questionnaire right when you receive it.
Have some help
In case you have any doubt about your application or the benefits you are receiving while living abroad, you should contact the Office of Earnings and International Operations (OEIO) at the SSA. They can help you solve problems and keep your benefits active without interruptions.
Let’s sum it all up
Make sure to check if you qualify, use any available work credits from another country, set up direct deposit, and respond to the SSA’s questionnaires on time. Staying organized and informed will make the process much easier for you.
Remember, your Social Security benefits are there to support you—and by taking these simple actions, you can ensure that your payments keep coming, helping you maintain financial security no matter where life takes you.
Of course, if you know someone else in this situation, you should share this information because you can help many people. Did you know anything about Social Security benefits and living abroad?