International Programs
Totalization Agreement with France
Introduction
For France, the Agreement covers the social insurance system for nonagricultural and agricultural employees, laws on prevention and compensation of occupational accidents and illnesses, nonoccupational accident insurance and insurance against occupational accidents and illnesses for self-employed persons in agricultural occupations, family benefits, system for seamen, sickness and maternity insurance for agricultural and nonagricultural self-employed workers, old-age allowances and old-age insurance for agricultural and nonagricultural self-employed workers, old-age and invalidity insurance for clergymen and members of religious orders, old-age and invalidity insurance for attorneys, and laws concerning old-age insurance for agricultural self-employed workers.
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Eliminating dual coverage for self-employment
Self-employed workers who work only in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage. Self-employed workers who work only in France are assigned French coverage. Self-employed workers who normally work in the United States but transfer their business activity to France for two years or fewer are assigned U.S. coverage. Self-employed workers who normally work in France but transfer their business activity to the U.S. for two years or fewer are assigned French coverage. Self-employed workers who work in both countries with principal activity in France are assigned French coverage. Self-employed workers who work in both countries with principal activities in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage.
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French certificates for employees and self-employed workers
To establish your exemption from coverage under the U.S. Social Security system, your employer in France must request a certificate of coverage (either form SE-404-1 or SE-404-2) from the local French agency for sickness insurance that collects your social security taxes in France. Include the following information:
- Worker's full name (including maiden name);
- Worker's date of birth;
- Worker's place of birth;
- Worker's country of citizenship;
- Worker's country of permanent residence;
- French social security number rather than your U.S. Social Security number;
- Date of hire, if employed;
- Country of hire, if employed;
- Nature of self-employment activity, if applicable;
- Name and address of the employer in the United States and the Agreement country (if self-employed, address of trade or business in both countries);
- Date of transfer and anticipated date of return of employment or self-employment in the Agreement country; and
- For employees, a statement, signed by your employer, certifying that you, and any family members who live with you in France, are covered by an employer-sponsored or other private health insurance plan while in France.
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Monthly benefits
Under the U.S. Social Security system, you may earn up to four credits each year depending on the amount of your covered earnings. For example, in 2022, you receive one credit for each $1,410 of your covered annual earnings up to a maximum of four credits per year. The amount needed to earn a work credit goes up slightly each year. For more information, see How You Earn Credits (Publication No. 05-10072).
The French system measures credits in calendar quarters. To simplify the information, the table shows requirements in years of credits.
|
Retirement or old-age benefits |
|
United States |
France |
Worker—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from one and one-half to 10 years (10 years if age 62 in 1991 or later). |
Worker—Full pension at age 62 if worker has between 37 ½ - 40 years of contributions; depending on the year of birth. Workers with less than 37 ½ - 40 years of contributions receive a reduced amount. Only one calendar quarter of contributions is needed to qualify under the French general system. Longer periods of contributions are needed under special occupational systems. |
*Full retirement age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Disability benefits |
|
United States |
France |
Worker—Under full retirement age* can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. One and one-half to 10 years credit needed, depending on age at date of onset. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind. |
Worker—Two types are payable: total disability (loss of all working capacity) and partial disability (loss of two-thirds of working capacity). To be eligible, worker must be under age 60, have been registered in social security system for at least 12 months and have credit for at least 800 hours of work during the four calendar quarters before disability (including 200 hours during the fourth quarter before the disability). |
*Full retirement age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
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Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people |
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United States |
France |
Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the worker’s entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 62 if not caring for a child. |
Spouse—No provision. However, a spouse’s supplement may be payable to an old-age beneficiary with a dependent spouse. |
Divorced spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Must be unmarried and have been married to worker for at least 10 years. |
Divorced spouse—No Provision. |
Children—If unmarried, up to age 18 (age 19 if in an elementary or secondary school full-time) or any age if disabled before age 22. |
Children—No provision. However, a child’s supplement may be payable to an old-age beneficiary with a dependent child. |
*Full retirement age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
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Survivors benefits |
|
United States |
France |
Surviving Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the deceased’s entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) if not caring for child. Benefits may be continued if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). |
Surviving Spouse—Full benefit at age 55 or disabled and not remarried. If under age 55 and not disabled, small income-tested allowance payable for three years if worker had been covered during three months before death. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years. |
Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker. |
Children—No provision. |
Lump-sum death benefit—A onetime payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker. |
Death benefit—A flat-rate payment made one time only. Worker must have had some recent coverage. |
*The full retirement age for survivors is age 66 for people born in 1945-1956 and gradually increases to age 67 for people born in 1962 or later.
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How benefits can be paid
If you have social security credits in both the United States and France, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country’s system, you will get a regular benefit from that country. If you do not meet the basic requirements, the Agreement may help you qualify for a benefit as explained below.
- Benefits from the United States—If you do not have enough work credits under the U.S. system to qualify for regular benefits, you qualify for a partial benefit from the United States based on both United States and French credits. However, you must have earned at least six credits (generally one and one-half years of work) under the U.S. system for the United States to count your French credits. If you already have enough credits under the U.S. system to qualify for a benefit, the United States cannot count your French credits.
- Benefits from France—Under French law, a worker can qualify for an old-age pension based on as little as one calendar quarter of contributions but the benefit amount is reduced for workers with fewer than 150-160 quarters (depending on year of birth). Under the Agreement, France will compute an old-age pension based on French credits alone as well as a prorated benefit based on United States and French credits, and then pay whichever is greater.
If you do not have enough work credits under the French system to qualify for regular disability or survivors benefits, you may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from France based on both United States and French credits. However, to have your U.S. credits counted, you must have at least one year of coverage under the French system.
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Claims for benefits
If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or French benefits:
- Visit or write any U.S. Social Security office.
- Phone our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
- Complete SSA-2490-BK (Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security Agreement) and mail to your local Social Security Administration office.
If you live in France and wish to apply for U.S. or French benefits, contact:
Federal Benefits Unit
United States Embassy
4 Avenue Gabriel
75382 Paris Cedex 08
FRANCE
- Any French social security office to file for French or U.S. benefits.
You can apply with one country and ask to have your application considered as a claim for benefits from the other country. Information from your application will then be sent to the other country. Each country will process the claim under its own laws—counting credits from the other country when appropriate and notify you of its decision.
If you have not applied for benefits before, you may need to provide certain information and documents when you apply. These may include:
- The worker’s United States and French social security numbers.
- Proof of age for all claimants.
- Evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months.
- Information about the worker’s coverage under the French system.
You may wish to call the social security office before you go there to find out if you need any other information.
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Payment of benefits
Each country pays its own benefit. The U.S. Department of the Treasury issues U.S. payments each month which covers benefits for the preceding month.
Under the French system, France makes payments at different times for different periods depending on the type of benefits. For more information, contact the French authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”Return to Totalization Agreements overview
For more information about France's social security programs
For more information about France’s social security programs, visit www.cleiss.fr or any social security office in France. If you do not live in France, write to:
Centre des Liaisons Européennes et Internationales de Sécurité Sociale
11, rue de la Tour des Dames
75436 Paris cedex 09
FRANCE