Gayle P. Says:
Would I lose my Social Security benefits if I become a citizen in the country I move to?
Social Security Expert Steve Garfink Says:
Great question!
The answer to this in almost all cases is, “No, you keep your right to your Social Security benefits.”
In fact, there are a substantial number of beneficiaries who are not and never were U.S. citizens. For a variety of reasons, they received a green card, which gave them the right to work in the U.S. and never pursued becoming a citizen.
As with anyone under the Social Security system, if you contribute payroll taxes into the program long enough (generally 10 years of meeting the minimum quarterly requirement), then you qualify for a retirement benefit.
Surprisingly (at least it was to me!), you even keep that right if you renounce your U.S. citizenship! The only limitation to receiving your retirement benefits—and it has nothing to do with citizen status—depends on where outside the U.S. you relocate.
If you are not a U.S. citizen and live in a relatively small handful of countries, like Cuba or North Korea, you would forfeit the benefit while residing there. (U.S. citizens would defer receipt of the benefits.)
Now, we’re talking Social Security here, so there are always peculiar rules and exceptions!
But as a general rule, once you have earned your right to retirement benefits by paying taxes into the Social Security system, you can receive that benefit (so long as you’re old enough) almost anywhere where you live and regardless of citizenship.
You can learn much more about how to receive—and maximize—your Social Security benefits in my book, Social Security Secrets – How to Maximize Your Income for a Worry-Free Retirement, available on the IL Bookstore here.
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.