Foreign-born workers in the United States qualify for Social Security retirement benefits the same way citizens do: by earning 40 work credits, which takes about 10 years of employment. If you fall short of 40, an agreement between the U.S. and roughly 30 other countries can let you combine credits from both nations to qualify. And as of 2025, a decades-old rule that quietly cut benefits for many immigrants with foreign pensions is gone.

The system does not care where you were born. It cares whether you worked in jobs that paid Social Security taxes, whether you are lawfully present, and whether you have a valid Social Security number. Meet those conditions and you draw the same retirement, disability, and survivor benefits as anyone else.

What trips immigrants up is the detail: how credits accumulate, which countries have agreements with the U.S., what happens to benefits if you move abroad, and how a foreign pension interacts with a U.S. check. This guide walks through each, with the 2026 numbers that decide eligibility.

How work credits actually work

Social Security runs on credits, not years. You need 40 credits to claim retirement benefits, and you can earn a maximum of four per year. In 2026, one credit requires $1,890 in earnings, so earning $7,560 in covered work during the year locks in all four credits, whether you make that in one month or spread it across twelve.

Credits never expire. If you worked in the U.S. for six years, left, and returned, the credits you banked stay on your record. That permanence matters for immigrants whose careers span countries, because partial credit histories are common and none of it is wasted.

Only work that paid into Social Security counts. Wages reported on a W-2 and self-employment income generally qualify; cash jobs that dodged payroll taxes do not, which is why immigrants who worked off the books early on sometimes find gaps in their record.

Totalization agreements: combining two countries

If you split your career between the U.S. and another country, you may not reach 40 credits in either one. Totalization agreements solve this. The U.S. has them with more than 30 countries, and they let you add your foreign credits to your U.S. credits to meet the 40-credit bar.

There is a floor: you generally need at least six U.S. credits of your own before totalization can fill the rest from a partner country. Once you qualify this way, the U.S. pays a benefit based only on your U.S. earnings, prorated, while the other country pays its share. You are not double-counting; you are stitching a fragmented record into one that crosses the eligibility line.

• Partner countries include Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, India (a newer addition many H-1B workers track), Australia, Japan, South Korea, and most of the EU.
• You need 6 U.S. credits minimum before foreign credits can be totalized onto your record.
• Each country pays its own share, so you may receive two separate checks based on where you earned the credits.

These agreements also prevent double Social Security taxation while you work. For a closer look at how they help workers moving between countries, see our coverage of why Social Security agreements benefit global Indians and the broader bilateral agreement framework.

The WEP repeal: a major 2025 win for immigrants

For decades, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduced U.S. Social Security checks for people who also collected a pension from work not covered by Social Security, which routinely included foreign pensions. An immigrant who earned a pension abroad and then qualified for U.S. benefits often saw their American check shrink. That ended.

The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, repealed both the WEP and the related Government Pension Offset. December 2023 was the last month those reductions applied, so benefits payable for January 2024 forward are calculated without them. The SSA has been adjusting payments and issuing retroactive amounts to affected beneficiaries.

The practical effect for foreign-born retirees is direct: a pension from your home country no longer drags down your U.S. benefit. If your check was reduced under WEP in the past, your record should now reflect the full amount.

You need a valid SSN and lawful status

Two conditions gate everything: a valid Social Security number and lawful presence. You earn credits only under an SSN, and the SSA pays benefits only to people who are lawfully in the country or meet specific exceptions. Green card holders clear both easily and can collect after the standard 10 years of work.

Visa holders can also build credits. Many H-1B, L-1, and other work-visa holders pay Social Security taxes from their first paycheck and accumulate credits toward a future benefit, even if they later leave. Dependents are a different story; whether a spouse can get an SSN depends on work authorization, as our guide to applying for an SSN on an H-4 visa explains.

What happens if you retire abroad

Many foreign-born workers plan to retire in their home country, and Social Security can follow you, with one important caveat for noncitizens. A noncitizen’s benefits are generally suspended after six consecutive months outside the United States.

The six-month rule does not apply if you are a citizen or resident of a country that has a totalization agreement with the U.S., or that otherwise pays benefits to U.S. citizens living there. This is another reason the agreement list matters: it often determines whether your check keeps arriving after you move. A handful of countries face payment restrictions regardless, so confirm your destination’s status before you go.

Tax treatment is separate from eligibility. Some retirees choose states with no income tax before any move abroad, a factor our look at Florida drawing immigrant retirees examines.

Retirement benefits versus SSI

Do not confuse Social Security retirement benefits with Supplemental Security Income (SSI). They are different programs with very different immigrant rules. Retirement benefits are an earned right based on your work credits. SSI is a need-based program for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, funded by general taxes, not payroll taxes.

SSI carries far stricter immigration eligibility, generally limited to specific categories of qualified noncitizens, and it does not depend on work credits at all. The 40-credit path described here is about the retirement benefit you earned by working, which is the one most foreign-born workers are building toward.

What to do now

Whether you are mid-career or near retirement, a few concrete steps protect the benefit you are owed.

1. Check your earnings record. Open a my Social Security account and confirm every year of covered work is posted. Gaps cost credits.
2. Count your credits. If you are short of 40 and worked abroad, check whether your home country has a totalization agreement.
3. Revisit a past WEP reduction. If your benefit was cut for a foreign pension before 2024, confirm the repeal has restored the full amount.
4. Plan around the six-month rule before retiring abroad, and verify your destination still pays U.S. benefits.

For broader context on how recent cost-of-living and earnings changes affect what you collect, our breakdown of 2026 Social Security for working retirees covers the latest figures. The core point holds: a career that crossed borders does not cost you Social Security, as long as you track the credits and claim what the rules now allow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can immigrants get Social Security benefits in the United States?

Yes. Foreign-born workers qualify for Social Security retirement benefits the same way citizens do, by earning 40 work credits through covered employment, roughly 10 years of work. You also need a valid Social Security number and lawful presence to collect the benefit.

How many work credits do I need for Social Security in 2026?

You need 40 credits for retirement benefits. In 2026, one credit requires $1,890 in earnings, and you can earn a maximum of four credits per year. That means $7,560 in covered earnings locks in all four credits for the year, whether earned in one month or twelve.

What is a totalization agreement?

A totalization agreement lets workers combine Social Security credits earned in the U.S. and a partner country to qualify for benefits. The U.S. has agreements with more than 30 countries. You generally need at least six U.S. credits before foreign credits can be added to your record.

Does a foreign pension reduce my U.S. Social Security benefit?

Not anymore. The Windfall Elimination Provision used to cut U.S. benefits for people with pensions from non-covered work, including foreign pensions. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, repealed it. December 2023 was the last month the reduction applied.

Can I receive Social Security if I retire in my home country?

Often yes, but a noncitizen’s benefits are generally suspended after six consecutive months outside the United States. That suspension does not apply if you are a citizen or resident of a country with a totalization agreement. A few countries face payment restrictions regardless, so verify before moving.

Do H-1B and other visa holders earn Social Security credits?

Yes. Many H-1B, L-1, and other work-visa holders pay Social Security taxes from their first paycheck and accumulate credits toward a future benefit, even if they later leave the U.S. Credits never expire, so a partial record stays on file and can be totalized later.

What is the difference between Social Security retirement and SSI?

Social Security retirement is an earned benefit based on your 40 work credits. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a need-based program funded by general taxes for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. SSI has much stricter immigration eligibility and does not depend on work credits.

Do Social Security work credits expire if I leave the U.S.?

No. Credits are permanent once earned. If you worked in the U.S. for several years, left, and returned, the credits stay on your record. This matters for immigrants with careers split across countries, because no covered earnings are ever wasted.