The U.S. has totalization agreements with only 30 countries — and the list skips some of the biggest expat destinations. If you work in India, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, New Zealand, or most of Latin America and Africa, no agreement protects you. Here is what that actually means.
Totalization agreements exist to assign you to one social security system. Without one, each country applies its own rules independently:
U.S. employees of a U.S. employer abroad generally stay subject to FICA (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare, matched by the employer) — while the host country may also require contributions to its system on the same salary.
Self-employed U.S. citizens owe U.S. self-employment tax of 15.3% wherever they live, and the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion does not reduce it. A local system may tax the same income again. See our self-employment guide.
With an agreement, as little as 6 U.S. quarters can be combined with foreign credits to unlock a pro-rated U.S. benefit. Without one, there is no combining: if you finish your career with, say, 32 U.S. credits and 15 years in India's EPF, the U.S. pays nothing (40 credits required) and your two careers never talk to each other.
A Certificate of Coverage — the document that proves exemption from one country's system — is a creature of the agreements. In a no-agreement country there is nothing to request; your obligations are whatever each country's domestic law says.
Check the 40-credit line before you move. If you're at 35–39 credits, even a short additional period of U.S.-covered work locks in retirement benefits for life.
Structure employment deliberately. Whether you're on a U.S. payroll, a local contract, or self-employed changes which taxes hit you. This is one of the few areas where planning genuinely moves the number.
Watch the treaty list. Negotiations with India have been discussed for years, and signed-but-dormant agreements (like Mexico's) can come to life. When an agreement enters into force it usually applies prospectively — but credits you've already earned can suddenly become combinable.
Moving to one of the 30 agreement countries instead? Run your numbers in our free totalization calculator.
No. Despite years of negotiation, there is no U.S.–India totalization agreement in force. Indians working in the U.S. pay into U.S. Social Security, and Americans working in India may owe contributions in both countries. Indian workers who leave the U.S. before earning 40 credits generally cannot claim a U.S. retirement benefit or combine credits.
No. There is no U.S.–China totalization agreement. U.S. citizens working in mainland China may owe Chinese social insurance contributions and U.S. Social Security/self-employment tax on the same income, depending on how they are employed.
A U.S.–Mexico totalization agreement was signed in 2004, but it has never entered into force because it was never finalized through the required U.S. review process. Until that happens, no totalization benefits or coverage exemptions apply.
Generally no. FICA taxes are not refundable just because you leave the U.S. However, if you earned at least 40 credits (about 10 years), you can claim U.S. retirement benefits from abroad in most countries. With fewer than 40 credits and no agreement, those contributions typically fund no benefit.