Receiving US Social Security in Portugal: How Americans Get Paid

Yes, a U.S. citizen can keep receiving Social Security benefits while living in Portugal, provided they are eligible and live in a country where the Social Security Administration (SSA) can send payments. SSA’s own publication says a U.S. citizen “may continue to receive payments while outside the U.S.”

SSA’s website refuses automated readers, so we read its publication 05-10137, “Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States” (footer: April 2026), and its payments-abroad page in a browser on 2026-10-19. The latest information the article rests on is the IRS page on taxing Social Security benefits (Topic 423), which the IRS lists as last reviewed on 7 October 2026; the SSA publication carries an April 2026 footer. This is a summary of what those pages say, not tax or legal advice. This guide covers the payments side. The agreement between the two countries is a separate question.

Can I still receive US Social Security while I live in Portugal?

If you are a U.S. citizen, SSA says you may continue to receive payments outside the U.S. You must be eligible for payments and be in a country where SSA can send payments. A person who is not a U.S. citizen must meet one of the conditions for payment that the publication describes, and SSA’s payments page says a non-citizen who leaves the U.S. for at least 30 days in a row must complete Form SSA-21.

“Outside the U.S.” has a meaning here: SSA means not being in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa for at least 30 days in a row. You stay “outside the U.S.” until you return and stay for at least 30 days in a row.

The publication lists the countries where payment is restricted: the Treasury Department prohibits payments to people residing in Cuba or North Korea and says other sanctions could affect other countries, and SSA says it generally cannot send payments to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan, with exceptions for certain eligible people. Portugal is not on those lists. The publication also lists Portugal and the United Kingdom among the countries that have social security agreements with the United States. What that agreement does for you is in our guide on the Portugal and US Social Security agreement.

SSA also says it calculates benefits in U.S. dollars and does not increase or decrease them because of exchange rate changes.

How do I get paid in Portugal?

SSA’s publication recommends direct deposit and says it avoids delayed, lost or stolen checks and usually arrives 1 to 3 weeks faster than a check. When SSA deposits benefits into a financial institution you may also avoid check cashing and currency conversion fees. The options it describes:

SSA’s International Direct Deposit List (www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist6.htm), which we read in a browser on 19 October 2026, is introduced as “Some countries and territories where direct deposit payments are available include” and lists Portugal. The page shows no update date; ask your nearest Social Security office or Federal Benefits Unit (list at www.ssa.gov/foreign) to confirm for your bank.

To switch from a paper check, the publication points to Treasury’s Go Direct website (1-877-874-6347) or Treasury’s electronic Payment Solution Center (1-800-333-1795). If you use a U.S. financial institution, you can also start or change direct deposit in a personal my Social Security account.

SSA says a U.S. account works wherever you live. Our guide on keeping US and UK accounts after moving covers the practical side, and sending money between the US, the UK and Portugal covers moving the money on.

What do I have to tell Social Security?

SSA’s publication lists 13 things to report, and the first is a change of address. It says to report your home address even if a bank receives the payment, and to include the country and postal code and the names of family members moving with you. For a citizen living in Portugal, the other items it lists include work outside the U.S. (if you are younger than full retirement age, notify SSA or the Federal Benefits Unit or a penalty may apply), death, and eligibility for a pension from work not covered by Social Security.

What is the questionnaire SSA sends abroad?

SSA says it sends questionnaires to people receiving benefits outside the United States every year or every 2 years, and uses the answers to decide whether you are still eligible. You must complete, sign, date and return it in the envelope provided as soon as possible. The publication says that if you do not, your payments will stop, and that a failure to report or a deliberately false statement could be penalized. Do not ignore a letter from SSA that arrives at your Portuguese address. Our first month paperwork guide covers the other letters a new resident should expect.

What about Medicare when I receive Social Security in Portugal?

SSA processes applications for Original Medicare (Part A and Part B), and its publication says Medicare “generally does not cover health services you get outside the United States”, that Part A becomes available if you return to the U.S., and that SSA does not withhold monthly premiums from your benefit for Part A. It adds that it may not be to your advantage to sign up and pay the premium for medical insurance if you will be out of the U.S. for a long period, but that if you do not and sign up later you pay a 10 percent higher premium for each 12-month period you could have been enrolled.

The full coverage rules, the exceptions and the Portuguese insurance side are in our guide to Medicare and US insurance abroad. The decision about Part B is worth taking before you move.

Is Social Security taxed if I live in Portugal?

Two tax systems can be involved. The U.S. side first, as the IRS says it. Topic 423 says your benefits are not taxable unless the sum of your modified adjusted gross income plus one half of your benefits is more than the base amount for your filing status, and that you can have additional withholding or pay estimated tax if part is taxable. You report taxable benefits on Form 1040 or 1040-SR. SSA’s publication gives these figures for single filers (combined income of 25,000 to 34,000 dollars, up to 50 percent taxable; above 34,000, up to 85 percent) and for joint returns (32,000 to 44,000 dollars, then above 44,000). Check the current base amounts on the IRS pages, which send you to Publication 915.

The Portuguese side, the treaty article on social security benefits and the foreign tax credit are in our guide on taxing a foreign pension in Portugal and in the US taxes for Americans abroad pillar. If you are a retiree choosing a residence route, see the retirement and passive income visa guide.

Is this for Britons too?

No. This is the U.S. system. A Briton with a U.K. State Pension should read the UK State Pension guide.

What we read, and the day

On 2026-10-19 we read, in a browser: SSA Publication 05-10137, “Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States” (April 2026 footer), and the SSA page “Social Security Payments Outside the United States”. We also read the IRS Topic 423 page, “Social Security and equivalent Railroad Retirement benefits” (last reviewed 7 October 2026). We also read SSA’s International Direct Deposit List in a browser on 19 October 2026. We did not read Publication 915.