A worker needs 10 years’ worth of credits to qualify for Social Security payments, but what if you work abroad? Does that time spent working count too?
Worked abroad? It could have a surprising impact on your Social Security benefits
Month after month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends payments to certain beneficiaries, including retired workers. They must meet certain criteria to claim their checks, such as having a Social Security number (SSN), certain earnings, and credits.
Throughout one’s working life, a worker accumulates a record of earnings. SSA relies on the total yearly amount of a worker’s earnings to calculate the credits you need to claim payments. In 2026, the amount of earnings needed for 1 credit is $1,890.
According to the SSA web portal, a worker can accumulate a maximum of four credits per year. Generally, a worker must accumulate about 40 credits to receive any benefits, that is, around 10 years of work, but does time working abroad also count?
Does my time working abroad count for US Social Security?
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA) website, if an American worked in a country that has an international agreement with the United States, the credits they earned in a foreign country can be combined with their credits. in the USA to comply with social security requirements, either in the United States, in your country of residence, or in both countries.
International settlements help people who have worked both in the United States and in another country, but have not worked long enough in any one country to qualify for Social Security benefits. Under the agreement, SSA counts work credits in the other country if it helps the worker qualify for benefits in the United States.
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However, if the SSA needs to count your foreign work credits, you will receive a partial benefit from the United States based on the time you worked with US Social Security.
While SSA can count your work credits in the other country, your credits are not transferred from that country to the US. They remain on your record in the other country. Therefore, you may qualify for a separate benefit payment from each country.
These are the countries that have a Social Security Totalization Agreement with the United States:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
For more information on how Social Security works for those working abroad, visit the SSA website.
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