The United States government has clarified the Social Security benefits available to nationals of 31 countries operating under bilateral totalisation agreements. These agreements aim to coordinate the Social Security systems of participating countries and help workers avoid paying Social Security taxes on the same earnings in both countries. The agreements can also help workers qualify for partial benefits when they have not accumulated enough credits in one country alone.
Under the agreements, workers can combine their US and foreign Social Security credits to meet the requirements for certain benefits. However, the credits are not transferred from one country to another and remain on the worker's record in the country where they were earned. For US benefits, a worker generally needs to have earned at least six US Social Security credits before credits from an agreement country can be counted towards eligibility.
The six US Social Security credits generally represent about one and a half years of work. If the combined credits make a worker eligible for a US benefit, the person may receive a partial US payment based on their US earnings and the proportion of their coverage under the agreement. Eligible workers may receive benefits from both countries, with each country determining and paying benefits independently.
The US Social Security Administration (SSA) currently lists 31 countries covered by US Totalisation Agreements. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in Europe. In the Americas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and Uruguay are covered, while Australia, Japan, and South Korea are covered in the Asia-Pacific region.
Romania became the latest addition to the US Totalisation Agreement network after its agreement with the United States entered into force on September 1, 2026. Under the US-Romania agreement, workers may be able to use periods of coverage in both countries to qualify for partial US or Romanian benefits where they do not meet the normal eligibility requirements in either system alone.
Periods of US and Romanian coverage earned before September 1, 2026, can be considered for establishing entitlement, although the earliest possible month of entitlement to benefits under the agreement is September 2026. The SSA also notes that eligible individuals can draw separate retirement or disability payments from both the US and their home country at the same time.
To qualify for benefits, workers must earn a minimum of six US Social Security credits before they can combine contributions from both countries. The SSA's list of countries under Totalisation Agreements aims to provide clarity on the Social Security benefits available to workers who have worked in both the US and one of the covered countries.
Key points
- The US has 31 countries covered by Totalisation Agreements, allowing citizens to receive Social Security benefits.
- Workers can combine US and foreign Social Security credits to qualify for partial benefits.
- Romania recently joined the US Totalisation Agreement network, effective September 1, 2026.
