Effective Dates: 04/12/2023 - Present Previous | Next

TN 6 (04-23)

GN 01727.120 U.S. Totalization Benefits under the U.S. - Portuguese Agreement

Under the Agreement, if a Number Holder (NH) has at least six U.S. Quarters of Coverage (QCs), but not enough to meet insured status requirements for regular U.S. benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) can add the NH's credits under the Portuguese social security system to the NH's U.S. coverage to permit the NH (or any survivors) to qualify for U.S. Totalization benefits.

A. Crediting Portuguese coverage

SSA will credit one U.S. QC for every three months of Portuguese coverage (or remaining fraction thereof) in a calendar year. (Portuguese coverage is measured in months.)

However, no credit will be given for:

  1. 1. 

    Any month in a calendar quarter that SSA has already credited as a U.S. QC; or

  2. 2. 

    More than four QCs for any calendar year; or

    3. Any period of coverage not based on contributions.

B. Computing benefits in the United States

When SSA establishes U.S. insured status based on combined U.S. and Portuguese coverage, it determines the amount of the U.S. Totalization benefit using the computation method described in GN 01701.200.

C. Adjudicating the claim in the United States

1. Field Office (FO) responsibilities

When a NH does not have enough U.S. coverage to meet fully insured status, but the NH has at least six QCs, FO technicians must take an initial claim to process the insured status denial. This will automatically generate a denial notice to inform the applicant that they do not meet the insured status requirement based on U.S. coverage alone, and that we will request the applicant's Portuguese earnings record (see GN 01702.310 - GN 01702.525).

The FO routes the claim to:

Social Security Administration

Division of International Operations

P.O. Box 17769

Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7769

NOTE: If a courier service is used, mail to:

Social Security Administration

Division of International Operations

6100 Wabash Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland 21215

2. Division of International Operations (DIO) responsibilities

DIO requests and converts Portuguese periods of coverage on the Portuguese earnings record to U.S. QC's before adjudicating the claim.

D. References

  • •

    GN 01702.315, Processing Totalization Insured-Status Notices in Claims for U.S. Benefits.

  • •

    GN 01702.325, Summary of Field Office Development and Processing of U.S. Totalization Claims and Foreign Claims (Regular and Totalization).

 

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0201727120
GN 01727.120 - U.S. Totalization Benefits under the U.S. - Portuguese Agreement - 04/12/2023
Batch run: 04/18/2023
Rev:04/12/2023