SSN EARNINGS

[chiyag]

Does an alien on a valid H1 visa, planning to move back to country of origin gets to withdraw the SSN earnings after putting in the mandatory 40 quarters of work?

[krishcbe]

No, Social Security is only for citizens.

[rahul412]

No, Social Security is only for citizens.

No that's not true. Social security is for everyone who works in US.

[JoeF]

Does an alien on a valid H1 visa, planning to move back to country of origin gets to withdraw the SSN earnings after putting in the mandatory 40 quarters of work?

No. Social Security is not like a bank. What you paid in was used to pay current retirees.

You can get the benefits paid to you when you are 65. That can even be paid abroad (except to countries like Syria, Iran, etc.)

[JoeF]

No, Social Security is only for citizens.

Wrong.

[t75]

Read the SS website to learn about who is eligible to receive benefits. It depends on country.

 

Remember that the benefit is based on a 35 YEAR work career and minimum work time requirements if it is around when you retire.

[psvrkprasad]

Why there are conflicting answers? Can someone from Murthy Law Firm answer this question? It will really help lot of people plan their retirement wherever they are.....

[JoeF]

Why there are conflicting answers? Can someone from Murthy Law Firm answer this question? It will really help lot of people plan their retirement wherever they are.....

 

There are no conflicting answers. There were wrong answers. This is the Internet. Lots of people post wrong stuff. Get used to real life...

Check the social security website. You'll see that my, rahul's, and t75's answers were the right ones.

[rahul412]

Answer is yes, you can but after your retirement age not immediately. For more info, you need to check at IRS website, since the rules differ from county to country.

[psvrkprasad]

I have 40 credits. I am planning to move back to my home country India. I have no plans to come back to US. I very much plan to retire and settle in India. Given that I am Indian Citizen, let me rephrase my questions.

 

1. Am I eligible for pension after retirement age(62?)?

2. Can I withdraw my SS earnings foregoing pension?(I heard about this but not sure if this is possible)

3. Can I draw pension even while I am not resident of US?

 

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, 

[JoeF]

Yes, if you have 40 credits, you can get SSN paid after retirement.

You can NOT withdraw anything. This is not a bank.

This is also not a pension.

You can get monthly SSN payments after retirement.

If you think about withdrawal and pension, maybe you are thinking of a 401(k). Completely different thing.

[rahul412]

Yes to all.

[psvrkprasad]

First of all, I want to thank you for your valuable time and answers. From an other forum, I got rather interesting information on this topic from SSN site itself. However, I am not able to follow the info. Can someone explain?

 

https://www.ssa.gov/international/index.html 

 

From below site, it looks like I might not get benefits but my dependent might get.... I am confused.

 

https://www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist4.htm 

 

 

Any help is greatly appreciated. 

[JoeF]

If you are a citizen of one of the countries listed, you get benefits. No problem whatsoever:

"Your payments will continue even if you have been outside the U.S. for more than six full calendar months, if you are a citizen of one of the countries listed below"

And of course you need to have at least 40 credits.

 

For dependents, there are additional requirements.