Plain English
How Social Security Works With Other Countries
Which countries have an agreement with the United States, what an agreement does, and how work years in two countries can be put together. Written for somebody who has never done any of this before.
Read this first. This page is mine, not SSA's. I am not SSA, I do not speak for SSA, and nothing here is authorized or endorsed by SSA. What I do is put SSA's own words in plain language and hand you the link to SSA's own page so you can check me. Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 before you rely on any of this for your own case.
What an agreement does
SSA calls them "totalization agreements."
SSA says these agreements have two main purposes:
- They end dual Social Security taxation, where a worker from one country pays Social Security tax to both countries on the same earnings.
- They help fill gaps in benefit protection for people who split their careers between the United States and another country.
The second purpose is the one that matters if you are close to qualifying for U.S. Social Security but a few credits short.
★ Two countries. One career. Both count.
Every agreement is its own agreement
Do not assume the rules in one country match another.
SSA says some agreements were revised after they started. The dates in the table below are when the original agreement took effect.
Click any country in the table below to see its own page. Each country page is built from SSA's own pamphlet for that country (the Japan example further down is also read from the full agreement text). The pages list what SSA says, and they say where SSA's page says nothing.
Check the date. SSA's list shows no "last updated" date. Romania is the newest, in force September 1, 2026. A newer agreement could exist that is not here.
★ Same idea. Different rules.
The 31 countries with a U.S. agreement
Source: SSA, "U.S. International Social Security Agreements," read October 2, 2026. Click a country to see its page.
| Country | In force |
|---|---|
| Italy | Nov 1, 1978 |
| Germany | Dec 1, 1979 |
| Switzerland | Nov 1, 1980 |
| Belgium | Jul 1, 1984 |
| Norway | Jul 1, 1984 |
| Canada | Aug 1, 1984 |
| United Kingdom | Jan 1, 1985 |
| Sweden | Jan 1, 1987 |
| Spain | Apr 1, 1988 |
| France | Jul 1, 1988 |
| Portugal | Aug 1, 1989 |
| Country | In force |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | Nov 1, 1990 |
| Austria | Nov 1, 1991 |
| Finland | Nov 1, 1992 |
| Ireland | Sep 1, 1993 |
| Luxembourg | Nov 1, 1993 |
| Greece | Sep 1, 1994 |
| South Korea | Apr 1, 2001 |
| Chile | Dec 1, 2001 |
| Australia | Oct 1, 2002 |
| Japan | Oct 1, 2005 |
| Denmark | Oct 1, 2008 |
| Country | In force |
|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Jan 1, 2009 |
| Poland | Mar 1, 2009 |
| Slovak Republic | May 1, 2014 |
| Hungary | Sep 1, 2016 |
| Brazil | Oct 1, 2018 |
| Uruguay | Nov 1, 2018 |
| Slovenia | Feb 1, 2019 |
| Iceland | Mar 1, 2019 |
| Romania | Sep 1, 2026 |
★ Thirty-one countries. Check yours.
How the U.S.-Japan agreement counts years
Signed February 19, 2004. In force October 1, 2005.
- It helps only if you have at least 6 U.S. credits but not enough for a U.S. benefit by themselves.
- SSA then counts Japanese coverage that Japan certifies: 1 U.S. credit for every 3 months of Japanese coverage. A leftover of under 3 months counts as one more.
- No more than 4 credits for any one calendar year, and none for a quarter you already have credit for in the U.S.
- Japan does the same in reverse: 3 months of Japanese coverage for each U.S. credit. SSA's pamphlet says at least 1 month of Japanese coverage is needed.
Example, by simple arithmetic and not an SSA figure: about 40 months of Japanese coverage works out to about 14 credits.
★ Borrowed years help you qualify.
Who pays what
Each country pays its own benefit.
- The U.S. pays the part earned in the U.S. Japan pays the part earned in Japan.
- The borrowed years only decide whether you qualify. They do not make the U.S. payment larger.
- The U.S. benefit is a partial benefit. It is figured from your average earnings in the U.S. only, then multiplied by the ratio of your U.S. coverage time to a full "coverage lifetime" under U.S. law.
Some Japanese periods do not count. The agreement leaves out some kinds of Japanese coverage, such as certain periods for Japanese nationals living abroad and some National Pension "Category III" periods. There is an exception for up to 11 quarters of Category III coverage, but only if you also have coverage before and after those periods. Ask SSA about your exact periods.
★ Qualify here. Get paid by each.
Where to start (Japan agreement)
You can apply in one country and ask that it count as a claim in the other.
- Find the Japanese Basic Pension number and the dates and employers of the Japanese coverage.
- Contact any U.S. Social Security office: visit, write, or call 1-800-772-1213 (8am to 7pm, business days; TTY 1-800-325-0778).
- Ask about the U.S.-Japan agreement. To apply for Japanese benefits at a U.S. office, SSA uses form J/USA 1 (retirement or disability) or J/USA 2 (survivors).
- Each country then processes the claim under its own laws, counts credits from the other country when appropriate, and tells you its decision.
SSA's pamphlet lists visit, write or phone. It does not list email. SSA may ask for the worker's U.S. Social Security number, the Japanese Basic Pension number, proof of age, U.S. earnings for the past 24 months, and information about the Japanese coverage.
★ One claim. Two countries.
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether Japan's record will show every Japanese work year, especially if you left Japan long ago.
- Whether SSA will count every month that shows. SSA counts only months Japan certifies.
- Whether you can have Japanese years recorded before you file. Everything I read describes it happening when you file.
- Anything about the other 30 countries beyond what each country's page says. Use that country's page and SSA's own pamphlet.
Ask SSA these four questions before you plan around any of it.
★ Ask SSA. Then plan.