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I know this is possible and I would probably never live abroad anyway. I was reading today about how more and more people are renouncing their US citizenship for various (valid) reasons. Not just for taxes either. They have started new lives where they are and maintaining US citizenship has issues that make their lives more difficult.
What I am wondering is, can someone on SS renounce their citizenship and still keep collecting?
If you are not a United States citizen, the law requires us to stop your payments after you have been outside the United States for six consecutive calendar months unless you meet one of several exceptions in the law allowing your benefits to continue. Most of these exceptions are based on your country of citizenship, residence or on other conditions.
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Most people who are neither United States residents nor United States citizens will have 25.5 percent of their benefits withheld for federal income tax.
On one hand I think that if someone has paid-into the Social Security system through the years and qualifies for retirement benefits they should receive those financial retirement benefits no matter their citizenship. On the other hand, I think that if someone renounces their USA citizenship to become a citizen of another country they should no longer receive U.S. Government benefits of any kind. Let their new country take care of them. What I haven't figured-out his how to balance the two sentiments.
You don't have to be a U.S. citizen to collect SS. So someone who paid in as required is entitled to the benefit, and can collect with the exception of sending money to a few restricted countries.
People who come here and work under SS and then retire while not citizens still collect as long as they paid in and met the number of credits etc.
On another forum I have read of several people that had careers "on both sides of the pond" as Brits like to say and they plan on collecting benefits from both countries.
On one hand I think that if someone has paid-into the Social Security system through the years and qualifies for retirement benefits they should receive those financial retirement benefits no matter their citizenship. On the other hand, I think that if someone renounces their USA citizenship to become a citizen of another country they should no longer receive U.S. Government benefits of any kind. Let their new country take care of them. What I haven't figured-out his how to balance the two sentiments.
I kind of agree that if you go through the formal process of actually renouncing your citizenship that you forfeit any benefits that you may have otherwise been entitled to. Congress and the IRS could do a better job, however, of making the tax law for overseas residents a little less draconian.
My brother, a Canadian, had a green card and worked in the States or for an American company abroad for years. He now lives back in Canada and collects SS, no problem.
I frankly don't understand why anyone would renounce their citizenship for financial reasons, unless they were super wealthy and wanted to shelter their money from taxes. Why do people do this?
My brother, a Canadian, had a green card and worked in the States or for an American company abroad for years. He now lives back in Canada and collects SS, no problem.
I frankly don't understand why anyone would renounce their citizenship for financial reasons, unless they were super wealthy and wanted to shelter their money from taxes. Why do people do this?
When I was stationed in Naples Italy, there was a community of US citizens living there. It started during WWII when the US liberated the military bases from the Nazis. After the war some of them stayed. Some of them stayed in the military as guards for the bases [8 bases there], some went to work as civilians on-base. Local Italian wives, and eventually Dual-Citizenship children.
I worked with one civilian who was born in my home-town, we both attended the same highschool. He graduated highschool around the time I was born. When I knew him ['97 - '01] he had not been back to the USA for over 20 years. He had a good job on-base, his children were all employed locally and had spouses and children. His children and grand-children are all Dual-Citizens even though none of them speak any English.
I am 'friends' on FB, with a few of these US citizens who settled in Italy.
They paid into SS, and they paid into the Italian Codia Fiscali.
They see no reason to renounce US citizenship.
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