Social Security & Benefits

U.S. citizens living abroad can generally continue to receive Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability benefits while residing in most foreign countries, provided they remain eligible under SSA rules. According to the Social Security Administration publication 'Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States' (SSA Publication No. 05-10137), benefits can be paid in nearly every country, though payments are restricted or prohibited in a small number of nations—most notably Cuba and North Korea—while other countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) require special conditions. Recipients abroad must typically complete a periodic Form SSA-7162 questionnaire to confirm continued eligibility. Medicare presents the opposite picture: coverage generally does not extend outside the United States and its territories, per Medicare.gov guidance. Retirees who relocate abroad must plan for private international health insurance or rely on host-country systems, while still deciding whether to keep paying Part B premiums to avoid late-enrollment penalties if they return. Totalization agreements with 30+ countries help Americans who split careers between the U.S. and partner countries avoid dual Social Security taxation and combine work credits to qualify for benefits. Veterans benefits, including VA disability compensation and pension, are generally payable abroad through the VA's Foreign Medical Program (FMP) for service-connected conditions, though healthcare access is more limited than stateside. Recent SSA and IRS guidance (2024-2025) continues to clarify reporting, WEP/GPO repeal under the Social Security Fairness Act signed January 2025, and foreign earned income interactions with benefit calculations.

Key Points

• 1Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability benefits are payable in nearly all countries except Cuba and North Korea; payments withheld during residence there can generally be recovered after moving to an eligible country (SSA Pub. 05-10137).
• 2The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), increasing benefits for many retirees—including expats—who receive foreign or non-covered pensions (ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html).
• 3The U.S. has totalization agreements with 30+ countries (including Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, and most of the EU) that prevent dual Social Security taxation and let workers combine credits from both systems to qualify for benefits (ssa.gov/international/agreements_overview.html).
• 4Medicare Parts A and B generally do not cover healthcare services received outside the U.S., except in rare emergency situations near the border; most expats drop Part B to save premiums but risk 10%-per-year late-enrollment penalties if they re-enroll later (medicare.gov).
• 5Non-U.S. citizen dependents and survivors must usually meet a 5-year U.S. residency requirement to receive benefits abroad, unless they live in a country with a totalization agreement or qualifying exception (SSA Pub. 05-10137).
• 6VA disability compensation, pension, and DIC are payable worldwide; the VA Foreign Medical Program reimburses care for service-connected conditions in most countries except the Philippines, which has a separate program (va.gov/resources/foreign-medical-program-fmp).
• 7Full retirement age is 67 for those born in 1960 or later; claiming early at 62 reduces benefits ~30%, while delaying to 70 increases them 8% per year—these rules apply identically whether you live in the U.S. or abroad (ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html).