21 Mar Can I collect Social Security if I’m living in another country?

Q. I am a Filipino widow of an American citizen. I will turn 60 in six months and I would like to ask if I can apply for survivor benefits. My deceased husband was receiving a pension until he passed on in 2013. We lived together in the U.S. from 2006 to 2013 until he died. And I went back to the Philippines to take care of my aging father. I have a Social Security number and was lawfully admitted in the U.S. But my husband didn’t allow me to work as he wanted a full-time homemaker and wife. Can I apply for survivorship when I turn 60?
— Widow

A. We’re sorry to hear about your husband.

The answer lies in the details.

You did not mention if you are an American citizen or not.

If you are not, you can receive a survivor benefit in the Philippines for up to six months based off of your husband’s benefit, said Jody D’Agostini, a certified financial planner with Equitable Advisors/The Falcon Financial Group in Morristown.

There are several countries where you would not be eligible to receive benefits, such as Cuba and North Korea.

“If you would like to reinstate the benefit, you would need to return to the U.S. for at least a month,” she said. “There are multiple options for collecting this benefit, but the monthly income is higher if you wait.”

If your husband claimed his benefits before his full retirement age (FRA), you are entitled to the lesser of the following: a) The amount of the deceased’s benefit at FRA, which would be reduced if you took it now as you are not at your FRA, or b) the greater of the amount the deceased was receiving at death or 82.5% benefit at FRA.

“If your husband claimed at or after his FRA, and you collect from age 60 to FRA, then you would receive between 71-99% of your husband’s benefit including any delayed credits,” she said. “If you wait until your FRA, then you would collect 100% of your husband’s benefit including any delayed credits.”

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This story was originally published on March 21, 2022.

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