Social Security Benefits While Living Abroad

If you've earned Social Security retirement, disability, or survivors' benefits, you can generally receive them while living abroad — the SSA sends payments to most countries outside the US without restrictions. A small number of countries are exceptions where the SSA cannot send payments: Cuba, North Korea, and several others. Your Social Security benefits may also be taxable in the US if your combined income exceeds certain thresholds, the same rules that apply to US-based retirees. Some US tax treaties provide that Social Security benefits are only taxable in the country of residence, not the US — meaning a US citizen resident in a treaty country might not owe US tax on their Social Security at all. The countries where US Social Security benefits are exempt from US tax under a treaty include Germany, Canada, Italy, and a handful of others; you'd claim the treaty benefit by filing Form 8833.