International Programs

Totalization Agreement with Slovenia

Contents

Contents
Introduction
Eliminating dual coverage for self-employment
Slovenia certificates for employees and self-employed workers
Monthly benefits
How benefits can be paid
Claims for benefits
Payment of benefits
For more information about Slovenia's social security programs

Introduction

For Slovenia, the Agreement covers old-age, survivors, and disability insurance benefits. The Agreement does not apply to residual working capacity 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 Slovenia are assigned Slovene coverage. Workers who normally work in the United States, but transfer their self-employed business activity to Slovenia for five years or fewer are assigned U.S. coverage. Workers who normally work in Slovenia, but transfer their self-employed business activity to the U.S. for five years or fewer are assigned Slovene coverage.

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Slovenia 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:

Ministry of Labour
Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
Kotnikova 28
1000 Ljubljana
SLOVENIA

Please provide the following information:

  • Worker's full name (including maiden name);
  • Worker’s U.S. Social Security number;
  • Worker's date of birth;
  • Worker's place of birth;
  • Worker's country of citizenship;
  • Worker's country of permanent residence;
  • Worker's Slovenia identification 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 amount needed to earn a work credit increases slightly each year.

The Slovene social security system measures periods of coverage in months. For simplicity, the following table shows the amount of credits a person needs to qualify for a Slovene benefit in terms of years.

Retirement or old-age benefits

United States

Slovenia

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—Benefits payable at age 65. Fifteen years of coverage needed to qualify. Possible earlier retirement at age 60 with 40 years of service. 

*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

Slovenia

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—age 30 or over must have worked 1/3 of the period between attainment of age 20 and the date of disability onset.

Age 21-29 must have worked at least ¼ of the same period

Younger than age 21 must have worked at least 3 months.

*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

Slovenia

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.

*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

Slovenia

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).

Widow or surviving partner/cohabitant—Must be at least age 53 at the time of worker’s death, or disabled, or caring for a child of the worker, or who gave birth to a child of the worker within 300 days of workers death.

The surviving partner/cohabitant must also have cohabitated with the worker three years prior to the worker’s death or for at least the past year if they had a child.

Widower—Must be age 65 or totally and permanently disabled at time of spouse’s death.

Divorced Widow—Must be age 65 or totally and permanently disabled at time of spouse’s death.

Divorced widow—Entitled to a maintenance right (alimony) prior to the worker’s death.

Divorced Widower—Same as widow if marriage lasted at least 10 years.

Divorced widower—Same as widow if marriage lasted at least 10 years.
Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker. (See above at family benefits.)

Children—Under age 15, or until age 18 if registered at an employment office, age 26 if attending a secondary or tertiary level educational institution, or without age limit if disabled.

Parents, adoptive parents, and grandparents who are in the worker’s care at the time of his or her death.
Lump-sum death benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker.

Death benefit –Paid to a dependent family when the insured dies.

Funeral allowance –Paid to the family member who paid for the insured’s funeral.

*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 Slovenia, 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 Slovene credits. However, for us to count your Slovene credits, 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 Slovene credits.
  • Benefits from Slovenia— If you do not have enough work credits under the Slovene system to qualify for benefits, Slovenia can count your credits under the U.S. Social Security system to help you qualify for Slovene benefits. To be eligible to have your United States and Slovene credits counted, you must have at least 12 months of coverage credited under the Slovene system.

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Claims for benefits

If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or Slovene benefits:

If you live in Slovenia and wish to apply for U.S. or Slovene benefits, contact:

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;
  • Slovene social security 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 Slovene system.

You may wish to call the 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 Slovene system are made early each month for the preceding month. For more information, contact the Slovenia authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”

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For more information about Slovenia's social security programs

For more information about Slovenia’s social security programs, visit the Pension and Disability Insurance website at https://www.zpiz.si/cms/?ids=zpizen or write to:

Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia
Kolodvorska ulica 15
SI-1518 Ljubljana
SLOVENIA

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