Us social security
 

Is there a thread to learn about how social security in the USA works with your uk pension and how you claim .

Re: Us social security
 

No, because it doesn't! The two are totally separate and one has no bearing on the other.

You can learn about US Social Security at ssa.gov.

Re: Us social security
 

Isn't there some small overlap, in that you can use years of one program to earn entitlement to the other, if you don't have the required minimum for eligibility?

Re: Us social security
 

That is incorrect which anyone who reads the thread on the topic on here would know. A UK pension can in certain circumstances trigger the Windfall Elimination Provision of SS thereby reducing the SS payment.

For information of WEP read this:- https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf

Re: Us social security
 

Yes, but that applies INCOME, as in ANY income, not specifically related to SS payments or UK pension payments, to which I was referring. I was saying that one payment towards SS is not counted towards UK pension requirements and vice versa.

Re: Us social security
 

Is that what you said, sounds like a Donald Trump explanation to me of what you said, which was:-

which is wrong as one can have a bearing on the other. The OP was asking how it works, with a UK pension and claiming, and didn't appear to confine their request to questions about payments.

Re: Us social security
 

OP, if you do a search, you will find a number of appropriate threads. Here is one:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5...curity-733297/

Note: but I just saw that you participated in that thread. Is there something specific that you want to know? If you just want to know how to claim, you visit each country's appropriate website and complete the forms.

Re: Us social security
 

I think it might be time for me to leave this forum again!

Re: Us social security
 

Some of the advice in this thread is not entirely correct.

There is a Totalization Agreement between the UK and the US, which affects in several different ways how the British state pension and US SS work together, and the two schemes affect each other in more ways than just WEP.

Under some circumstances years of contributions to one scheme can be added to contributions in the other country to improve the payouts, or create payouts where there would have been none. Follow the above link and look for the "How Benefits Can Be Paid" section, about three-quarters of the way down the page.

Re: Us social security
 

No, it only means that you have to read the post more accurately. I read it as to pertaining to how claiming US Social Security and a UK pension at the same time affects your total benefit. He then goes on to ask how to claim 'it' which I assume is social security since as a Brit he would know how to claim his UK pension.

The Windfall Act can do a number on what you get in ss benefits, as we found out when Canadian husband claimed his social security at age 70 having a military and old age pension from Canada.

Re: Us social security
 

That's fine, I was wrong, I can accept that, but there are ways of pointing it out, which one did and one did not without making the poster feel like a complete idiot! Surprisingly, it was the person who caused me to leave last time that did it correctly!

Re: Us social security
 

Then you know to ignore that person. Not everyone has a grip on diplomacy ;)

Re: Us social security
 

The US/UK totalization agreement for social security only allows payments made to one country to be used to qualify for payments in the other if you don't have enough contributions to qualify for payments. The size of that payment will be calculated only on contributions made in the country where you are claiming the benefit.

Be careful not to confuse SS and UK state pension with private pensions.

Re: Us social security
 

I am eligible to receive US social security, UK state pension, and a UK stakeholder pension (it's defined contribution), but haven't applied for any of them yet. Am I right in thinking that WEP does not apply to my UK stakeholder pension, so there would be no advantage in emptying that pension before applying for US social security? And am I right in thinking that I should apply for my US social security before my UK state pension as during the period in between my US social security would not be reduced by WEP?

Re: Us social security
 

My wife's private pension counted towards WEP, as of course did her UK State pension. You need to be careful emptying a pension as there or questions on the SS claim form about lump sums you may have already received. Maybe a good idea for you to look at those forms and see what it is they ask.

If you claim SS and are not receiving another pension from a source where you didn't pay SS contributions your SS shouldn't be reduced by WEP. This assumes you don't have 30 years of SS contributions, because if you do WEP does not apply anyway.