Can my non-US spouse claim Social Security benefits based on my record while we live abroad?

Yes, your husband can likely qualify for spousal benefits on your record! The good news is that nationality doesn't matter for spousal benefits, and the US has a totalization agreement with the UK that makes this process relatively straightforward. Since he worked in the US for 9 years (36 quarters), he's just shy of qualifying for his own benefit. However, as your spouse, he can receive up to 50% of your full retirement age benefit amount - regardless of his citizenship. A few important things to note: 1. Because he'll be receiving a UK pension, his Social Security spousal benefit will likely be reduced by two-thirds of his UK pension amount (this is called the Government Pension Offset or GPO) 2. He'll need to apply through the Federal Benefits Unit at the US Embassy in London 3. He must have been married to you for at least 1 year (which you clearly meet at 22 years

My situation was almost identical! American married to a British husband living in Manchester. He worked in Boston for 8 years in the 80s. He applied for spousal benefits when he turned 66 last year and it was approved, BUT the amount was really disappointing after the GPO reduction. His UK pension basically wiped out most of the SS benefit - he only gets about $120/month from Social Security. The process through the Embassy was pretty straightforward though. We emailed the Federal Benefits Unit first to get instructions.

You might run into some frustrating bureaucracy trying to coordinate between SSA and UK pension systems. When my Spanish husband applied for benefits while we were living in Barcelona, we kept getting conflicting information from different SSA representatives. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual SSA agent who specialized in international benefits. Saved us weeks of back-and-forth! They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The SSA agent we reached was able to clearly explain how the totalization agreement would affect our specific situation.

ur husband DEFINITELY can get benefits!!! i moved to australia with my aussie wife (im american) and she gets spousal SS even though she never even LIVED in the usa!!!! but watch out for that GPO thing its a SCAM they take away most of the money!!!! the whole system is rigged against international couples!!!!

A couple of technical points that might help you: 1. The UK-US Totalization Agreement won't actually help your husband qualify for his own benefit in this case. Those agreements help combine work credits to reach minimum qualification, but they don't transfer actual quarters of coverage from one system to another. 2. For the GPO calculation: they'll reduce his spousal benefit by 2/3 of his UK "statutory pension" amount, but any private/occupational UK pensions won't count toward this reduction. 3. If he's just one year short of qualifying on his own record (36 quarters vs. needed 40), you might want to check if there are any US earnings that weren't properly credited. Sometimes self-employment income or cash jobs don't get properly recorded. 4. There's no reduction to YOUR benefit because of his UK pension - the GPO only affects his spousal benefit. Hope that helps clarify things!

I went through this whole process last year with my Canadian husband. One thing nobody tells you - make sure your husband has his original SS card! If he can't find it from when he worked in the US decades ago, request a replacement NOW because that added months to our application process.

Just wanted to add that my friend is in a similar situation but reversed - he's British and his wife is American, living in Wales. Something to be aware of is that benefit payments for non-US citizens living abroad sometimes need to be picked up in person every 6 months at a US embassy or consulate. Rules vary by country though, so check specifically for UK requirements.

To address your question about starting the application process - you should first contact the Federal Benefits Unit at the US Embassy in London. They handle all Social Security matters for UK residents. Email them at FBU.London@ssa.gov to get the process started. They'll likely send you the proper forms and instructions. Your husband will need: 1. His Social Security card 2. Birth certificate 3. Marriage certificate 4. Information about his UK pension 5. Your Social Security number and claim information The application can't be completed fully online for international cases, but they can certainly get you started with the right paperwork.

my wife just reminded me that they send payments different for people overseas!!! u cant get direct deposit to a UK bank!! they either do direct deposit to a US bank account (do u still have one?) or they mail actual CHECKS to ur address in london which is crazy slow!