What You Must Know About Getting Social Security Benefits While Living Abroad So You Don’t Lose Them

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Many Americans dream of living abroad. Depending on the country, your dollars can often go much further there, enabling you to live a more comfortable life while in retirement. Collecting Social Security benefits wherever you are can make a real difference—if you can get them.

Most people qualified for Social Security can receive them when they live abroad. The Social Security Administration (SSA) can send it via direct deposit to a bank in that country, making it easily accessible. Many hundreds of thousands of Americans living abroad receive their checks every month.

Social Security Checks Cannot Be Sent to Some Countries

The SSA will not send checks will to certain countries. MSN lists nine countries where Americans cannot get their checks: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.