Hello,
I work for a US Company, however I worked in the UK for 10 years after 5 years in the UK due to the Totalization Agreement with the UK my company stopped paying Social Security etc in the US and started paying into the UK system (from 2003 to 2007) now my US Social Security Statement shows 0 Earnings from 2003 to 2007. What should I do? Am I eligible for a UK payment as well as a US payment?
Tom

Hi Tom,

Yes, it's quite possible that you could be eligible for benefits from both the US and UK Social Security programs. It doesn't sound like you have enough work credits to qualify for a UK pension based on your UK credits alone, but you still may qualify based on the totalization agreement between the 2 countries. For more information on the agreement, refer to Social Security's website: https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agreement_Pamphlets/uk.html.

Normally, receipt of a UK pension based on your work there could cause you to receive a lower US Social Security benefit rate due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf). However, if you don't have enough UK work credits to qualify for a pension without crediting your US work in order to pay you a totalized benefit, the UK pension shouldn't affect your US Social Security rate.

Best, Jerry