Decision 3 · Week 3 · Wed Nov 18
Can I get Social Security if I retire abroad?
SHORT ANSWERIn most countries, yes. US citizens can keep receiving Social Security retirement benefits while living abroad. Payments are barred in Cuba and North Korea and restricted in a few other countries.
The restricted list is Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. SSA's Payments Abroad Screening Tool checks any country. Non-citizens face different rules.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a separate program. It stops for any full calendar month you spend outside the US.
Moving abroad does not end US tax filing. US citizens file on worldwide income wherever they live.
Week 3 compares places on total value, including how your income travels.
Sources
- Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States (EN-05-10137) · Social Security Administration
- Payments Abroad Screening Tool · Social Security Administration
- 20 CFR § 416.1327, Suspension due to absence from the United States · Social Security Administration
Written and reviewed by Todd Allyn, Founding Director, Sovereo Intelligence
Facts checked Oct 6, 2026 · Next review by Apr 6, 2027
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