Immigrants can get Social Security at 65 if they have earned 40 U.S. work credits (about ten years of covered work) and hold a lawful immigration status at the time they apply. Citizenship is not required. One catch worth knowing before you file: for anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67, so claiming at 65 locks in a smaller monthly check for life.
Why Claiming at 65 Means a Reduced Check
Congress raised the full retirement age in 1983. For anyone born in 1960 or later, which covers most people approaching retirement now, full retirement age is 67.1Social Security Administration. Retirement Age Calculator You can start as early as 62, but every month you claim before your full retirement age permanently reduces your monthly payment.2Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction
Claiming at 65 when your full retirement age is 67 means filing 24 months early. The reduction is 5/9 of one percent for each of those months, which comes out to roughly 13.3 percent less than your full benefit, for the rest of your life.3Social Security Administration. Benefit Reduction for Early Retirement Waiting past 67, up to age 70, increases your monthly amount instead. Age 65 still matters, though, because Medicare eligibility begins there regardless of when you start Social Security.
The 40 Work Credits You Need
To collect retirement benefits at all, you need 40 credits from work on which you paid Social Security taxes, which is roughly ten years of covered work.4Social Security Administration. Social Security Credits and Benefit Eligibility The law caps you at four credits per year.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 413 – Quarter and Quarter of Coverage Once earned, credits stay on your record even if you stop working or leave the country for a stretch.
The dollar amount tied to one credit changes each year. In 2026, one credit takes $1,890 in covered earnings, and $7,560 in the year gets you the maximum four credits.6Social Security Administration. Quarter of Coverage You do not have to spread the earnings evenly across the year; the annual total is what counts. Check your earnings record through your online Social Security account periodically so any missing wages get corrected while the paperwork still exists.
For your work to show up on that record, you need a Social Security number that was issued for work.7Social Security Administration. Foreign Workers and Social Security Numbers Wages paid off the books, or under a taxpayer ID that is not a work-authorized SSN, do not build credits.
Which Immigration Statuses Qualify
Federal law defines a “qualified alien” to include lawful permanent residents, refugees, people granted asylum, and individuals paroled into the country for at least one year, among other categories.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1641 – Definitions Social Security retirement benefits, which fall under Title II of the Social Security Act, carry a broader rule than most federal programs: even noncitizens who are not “qualified aliens” can receive them so long as they are lawfully present in the United States.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1611 – Aliens Who Are Not Qualified Aliens Ineligible for Federal Public Benefits
Your status has to remain valid while you are receiving benefits. If your immigration documents lapse or your status is revoked, payments can be suspended. The Social Security Administration expects you to report any change in citizenship or immigration status so it can update your file.10Social Security Administration. Your Social Security Number and Card
If You Worked in Another Country Too
Careers split across borders often fall short of 40 U.S. credits on their own. Totalization agreements, treaties between the United States and more than 30 other countries, can bridge the gap.11Social Security Administration. Totalization Agreements They let the agency count credits you earned in a partner country toward the 40-credit U.S. threshold, and they keep you from paying Social Security taxes twice on the same income.
When you apply, the agency combines your U.S. and foreign records. If the total clears 40 credits, you qualify, but the U.S. benefit is prorated to reflect only the time you actually worked here. Foreign credits open the door; they do not raise the dollar amount of your American check. Rules vary treaty by treaty, so confirm the specifics for the country where you worked.
Medicare Still Starts at 65
Full retirement age for Social Security is 67, but Medicare eligibility hasn’t moved. Sign up during the seven-month window around your 65th birthday even if you plan to delay Social Security. With 40 or more U.S. credits, you get premium-free Medicare Part A. With fewer, you can buy in:
- 30 to 39 credits: $311 per month in 2026.
- Fewer than 30 credits: $565 per month in 2026.12Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles
Lawful permanent residents who cannot meet the credit requirement generally must have lived continuously in the United States for at least five years before they can buy into Part A.
If You Reach 65 Without 40 Credits
Supplemental Security Income is a separate, needs-based program for people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled and have very limited income and resources. In 2026, the maximum federal SSI payment is $994 per month for an individual and $1,491 for a couple.13Social Security Administration. SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026 Countable resources must stay under $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple.14Social Security Administration. Understanding Supplemental Security Income SSI Resources
Noncitizen access to SSI is tighter than access to regular Social Security. Since August 22, 1996, most noncitizens must both fall into a qualified alien category and meet an additional condition:15Social Security Administration. Spotlight on SSI Benefits for Noncitizens
- Lawful permanent residents may qualify if they can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters of work, and quarters worked by a spouse or parent can count toward that total. Anyone who entered on or after August 22, 1996 is ineligible for SSI during their first five years as a permanent resident, even with 40 quarters.
- Refugees and people granted asylum can receive SSI for up to seven years from the date their status was granted, as long as they filed within that window. After seven years, eligibility ends unless the person has become a U.S. citizen or meets another qualifying condition.16Social Security Administration (SSA). Time-Limited Eligibility for Certain Aliens
- Noncitizens who were lawfully residing in the United States and already receiving SSI on August 22, 1996 may keep receiving benefits.
One trap for new permanent residents: if someone signed an affidavit of support to sponsor your admission, the agency counts part of your sponsor’s income against your SSI eligibility for three years after admission, whether or not you live with them.17eCFR. 20 CFR 416.1160 – What Is Deeming of Income? A sponsor with a comfortable income can push you over the SSI limit even when your own bank account is nearly empty.
If You Plan to Live Abroad After Retiring
A noncitizen who qualifies for Social Security and then moves out of the United States can have payments stop after six full calendar months outside the country, unless an exception applies.18Social Security Administration. Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States The two most common exceptions are being a citizen of a country that has a totalization agreement with the United States, or having earned at least 40 U.S. credits on your own.
The U.S. Treasury bars Social Security payments to anyone living in Cuba or North Korea. Payments to residents of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan face restrictions, with limited exceptions. If payments stop because of time abroad, you generally have to come back to the United States and stay for a full calendar month before they start again.
What to Bring When You Apply
Filing for retirement benefits requires original documents, or copies certified by the issuing agency, to establish identity, age, and legal status.19Social Security Administration. What Documents Do You Need to Apply for Retirement Benefits? Plan on:
- Your birth certificate, original or certified by the issuing authority in your country of origin. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.
- Proof of immigration status, such as an unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), Employment Authorization Document, or other current immigration document.
- Your Social Security card or a record of the number.
- Recent W-2 forms or self-employment tax returns showing your earnings.
- Bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit.20Social Security Administration. Application for Retirement Insurance Benefits (SSA-1-BK)
Documents in a language other than English need a verbatim English translation submitted alongside the original. Check that the name shown on every document matches the name on your Social Security record. Even a small spelling difference can slow processing.
Filing and Timing
You can apply online, over the phone by scheduled appointment, or in person at a local field office. In-person filing tends to be easier if your work history spans multiple countries, because a representative can walk you through how totalization credits apply. The agency recommends applying about three months before you want payments to start.
Processing usually takes about six weeks, and up to three months when additional documentation is requested or foreign work records are involved. You will get a written decision showing your monthly amount and the start date.