International Programs
Totalization Agreement with Slovak Republic
Introduction
For Slovak Republic, the Agreement covers old-age benefits, early retirement benefits, disability benefits, surviving spouse's benefits and orphan's benefits.
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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 the Slovak Republic are assigned Slovak Republic coverage.
- Self-employed workers who normally work in the United States but transfer their business activity to Slovak Republic for five years or fewer are assigned U.S. coverage.
- Self-employed workers who normally work in Slovak Republic but transfer their business activity to the U.S. for five years or fewer are assigned Slovak Republic coverage.
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Slovak Republic certificates for employees and self-employed workers
Employers and self-employed workers must request a certificate of coverage to establish an exemption from U.S. Social Security contributions.
Please mail your request to:
Sociálna Poisťovňa
Ul. 29 Augusta c. 8 a10
813 63 Bratislava
SLOVENSKA REPUBLIKA
Please provide the following information:
- Worker's full name (including maiden name);
- Worker’s U.S. Social Security number;
- Worker's date and place of birth;
- Worker's country of citizenship;
- Worker's country of permanent residence;
- Worker's Slovak Birth Registration Number, if applicable;
- 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); and
- Date of transfer and anticipated date of return of employment or self-employment in the Agreement country.
U.S. employers should retain certificates of coverage in case of an audit by the IRS. Employers should not send a copy to the IRS unless the IRS specifically requests the certificate of coverage.
Self-employed workers should attach a copy of the certificate of coverage to their U.S. tax return every year as proof of the exemption.
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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 Slovak system measures credits in days. To simplify the information, the table shows requirements in years of credits.
|
Retirement or old-age benefits |
|
United States |
Slovak Republic |
Worker—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from 6 to 40 (40 credits if age 62 in 1991 or later). |
Worker—Full benefit at pension age (depending on date of birth, sex and number of children raised) with at least 15 years of coverage. Early retirement is possible if no more than 2 years from retirement age; or attained at least 40 years of service; have at least 15 years of contributions; cease all work activity; (the law provides for certain exceptions in relation to self-employed persons who hold a statutory business license); and early old-age pension amount must be at least 1.6 times the legally defined minimum subsistence wage for an adult natural person. Under the same conditions, early retirement is also possible for an insured person who has also saved in the II. Pillar, where the resulting amount is the sum of the early retirement pension and the early retirement pension from the II. Pillar. However, the latter must again be higher than 1.6 times the amount of the minimum subsistence wage for an adult natural person. |
*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Disability benefits |
|
United States |
Slovak Republic |
Worker—Under full retirement age* can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. 6 to 40 credits needed, depending on age at date of onset. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind. |
Worker—Full benefit if at least 70 percent reduction in capacity to work. Partial disability if 41-69 percent reduction in work capacity. Total periods of coverage needed based on age at disability onset. Persons with disability before age 20 need less than 1 year of coverage; persons aged 45 or older need at least 15 years of coverage. |
*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
|
Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people |
|
United States |
Slovak Republic |
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—Full disability if disability began during period when child is dependent (no Slovak coverage required). |
*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
|
Survivors benefits |
|
United States |
Slovak Republic |
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 continue if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). |
Surviving Spouse—At time of death: worker must have been receiving an old-age pension, early old-age pension, or disability pension; or must have met the requirements for an old-age pension or the coverage requirements for a disability pension; or must have died due to work accident or occupational disease. Surviving spouse benefits cease after two years unless certain age, disability or child rearing exceptions apply. Pension ceases if surviving spouse remarries. |
Lump-Sum Death Benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker. |
Lump-Sum Death Benefit—No provision. |
*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
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How benefits can be paid
If you have social security credits in both the United States and the Slovak Republic, 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, here is how the Agreement may help you qualify for a benefit:
- Benefits from the United States - If you do not have enough U.S. work credits to qualify for regular benefits, you may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from the United States with both United States and Slovak credits. However, for us to count your Slovak credits, you must have 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 Slovak credits.
- Benefits from the Slovak Republic - If you do not have enough work credits under the Slovak system to qualify for benefits, the Slovak Republic can count your credits under the U.S. Social Security system to help you qualify for Slovak benefits. However, for the Slovak Republic to count your U.S. credits, you must have at least 12 months of coverage under the Slovak system unless an exception applies.
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Claims for benefits
If you live in the United States and want to apply for United States or Slovak 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. any business day. 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 are claiming Slovak benefits, in addition to Form SSA-2490-BK, you must complete Form SK/USA 2 (Claim for Pension Benefits from the Pension Insurance System of the Slovak Republic). You can request this Form from your local Social Security field office, or from the Slovak social security agency, or the Federal Benefits Unit in Poland at the addresses shown below.
If you live in the Slovak Republic and wish to apply for benefits, contact:
Federal Benefits Unit
United States Embassy
ul. Piekna 12
00-539 Warsaw
POLAND
You can apply in one country and ask that country to consider your application also a claim for benefits from the other country. They will send information from your application to the other country. Each country will process your claim under its own laws, count credits from the other country as the Agreement requires, 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.
This may include:
- The worker’s U.S. Social Security number;
- The Slovak Birth Registration number;
- Proof of age for all claimants;
- Evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months; and
- Information about the worker’s coverage under the Slovak system.
You may wish to call the social security office before you go there to see if you need to provide any other information.
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Payment of benefits
Each country pays its own benefit. The U.S. Department of Treasury makes U.S. payments each month that cover benefits for the preceding month. Under the Slovak system, the Social Insurance Agency makes payments each month that cover benefits for the current month. For more information, contact the Slovak Republic authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”
Return to Totalization Agreements overview
For more information about Slovak Republic's social security programs
For more information about Slovak social security visit https://www.socpoist.sk/ or write to:
Sociálna Poisťovňa
Ul. 29 Augusta c. 8 a10
813 63 Bratislava
SLOVENSKA REPUBLIKA