International Programs
Totalization Agreement with Greece
Introduction
For Greece, the Agreement covers retirement, invalidity, and survivors benefits.
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Eliminating dual coverage for self-employment
Self-employed workers who reside in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage. Self-employed workers who reside in Greece are assigned Greek coverage. The self-employed workers who perform similar or same activity in both countries are assigned the coverage of the country of residence.
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Greek certificates for employees
To establish your exemption from coverage under the U.S. Social Security system, your employer in Greece must request a certificate of coverage (form GR/USA 1) from the local Greek agency (fund) that collects your social security contributions in Greece.
The same information required for a certificate of coverage from the United States is needed to get a certificate from Greece, except that you must also show:
- The Greek fund to which your Greek contributions are paid.
- Your Greek social security number rather than your U.S. Social Security number.
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Greek certificates for self-employed workers
The self-employed person must request this form from the Agency that collects their contributions at the place of their residence.
- If you reside in the United States , write to the Social Security Administration at the address shown in the section titled, Requesting a certificate of coverage by mail.
- If you reside in Greece, write to the Greek fund to which you normally pay your Greek social security contributions.
Be sure to provide the following information in your letter:
- Full name (including maiden name for a married woman).
- Date and place of birth.
- Citizenship.
- Country of permanent residence.
- U.S. and Greek social security number.
- Nature of self-employment activity.
- Dates the activity was or will be performed.
- Name and address of your trade or business in both countries.
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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, ask for How You Earn Credits (Publication No. 05-10072).
Under the Greek system, credits are measured in days. To simplify the information in the table, U.S. requirements are shown in years of credits.
|
Retirement or old-age benefits |
|
United States |
Greece |
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 benefit payable at age 67 with at least 4,500 days (15 years) of contributions. Reduced benefits are payable at age 62. Workers who meet certain other requirements (e.g. women with dependent children, workers in hazardous occupations or who have over 10,000 days of contributions) may receive benefits at earlier ages. |
*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 |
Greece |
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—Full benefit payable at any age if earnings capacity is reduced at least 80 percent by an impairment expected to last for a year or more. Partial benefit payable to workers with at least 50 percent loss of earnings capacity. Must have 300-4,500 days of contributions depending on age at time of disability and on the cause of the disability. If less than 4,500 days of contributions, some recent contributions are also needed. |
*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.
|
Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people |
|
United States |
Greece |
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. |
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, supplement paid to pensioner for unmarried dependent children under age 18 (age 24 if full-time student at university or college) or any age if disabled before age 18. |
*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.
|
Survivors benefits |
|
United States |
Greece |
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—Benefit payable at any age if the deceased worker was entitled to retirement or disability benefits or met specific contribution requirements. Marriage must have lasted at least six months (two years if the deceased worker was receiving retirement or disability benefits). Both the contribution requirement and marriage requirement may be waived for certain reasons such as a work-related accidental death. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—No Provision. |
Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker. |
Children—Up to age 18 (age 24 if full-time student at university or college) or any age if disabled before age 18. |
| Other family members—Under certain conditions, dependent parent age 62 or older. | Other family members—If there is no entitled surviving spouse or orphan, benefits may be payable to dependent grandchildren and parents. |
Lump-sum death benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker. |
Funeral grant—None. However, a one-time sickness insurance payment may be payable to the spouse or to the person who paid the burial expenses. |
*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 Greece, 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 may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from the United States based on both United States and Greek credits. However, to be eligible to have your Greek credits counted, you must have earned at least six credits (generally one and one-half years of work) under the U.S. system. If you already have enough credits under the U.S. system to qualify for a benefit, the United States cannot count your Greek credits.
- Benefits from Greece—Social security credits from both countries also can be counted, when necessary, to meet the eligibility requirements for Greek benefits. To be eligible to have your United States and Greek credits counted, you must have at least 300 days of coverage credited under the Greek system.
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Claims for benefits
If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or Greek 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-Friday. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our 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 Greece and wish to apply for U.S. or Greek benefits, contact:
Federal Benefits Unit
American Embassy
91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue
101 60 Athens
GREECE - Any Greek social security office.
- Apply online at: www.efka.gov.gr (You will need your personal Taxisnet passwords, your social security number in Greece).
- Upon submission you will receive an application number and a protocol number that is taken into account in the processing of your pension request.
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 Greek social security numbers.
- Proof of age for all claimants (Greek birth certificate if you were born in Greece).
- Evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months.
- Information about the worker’s coverage under the Greek system (including the original insurance booklet from Greece).
You may wish to call the U.S. Social Security office before you go there to see if you need any other information.
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Payment of benefits
Each country pays its own benefit. U.S. payments are made by the U.S. Department of Treasury each month and cover benefits for the preceding month. Payments under the Greek system are made near the end of each month for the following month. For more information, contact the Greek authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”
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For more information about Greece's social security programs
For more information about Greece’s social security programs:
- Visit the Electronic National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) at https://www.efka.gov.gr/el.
- Visit any social security office in Greece.
- If you do not live in Greece, write to:
e-EFKA - Electronic National Social Security Fund
Directorate General for International Cooperation
Directorate for EU Legislation and Bilateral Social Security Agreements
Department of Bilateral Social Security Agreements
30, 28th Oktovriou (former Patission str.)10677 Athens
GREECE