TN 3 (02-23)

GN 01743.001 Overview and Effective Date of the Totalization Agreement with Australia

A. Purpose of the U.S. - Australia Totalization Agreement

The Social Security Agreement between the United States and Australia

  • eliminates dual Social Security coverage and taxation of the same work, and

  • may permit workers (and their family members) to qualify for partial U.S. or Australian benefits, even though they do not meet the normal insured status requirements (for U.S. benefits) or Australian residence requirements (for Australian benefits).

B. Effective date of the U.S. - Australia Totalization Agreement

The Agreement with Australia became effective October 1, 2002.

C. Periods of coverage

We can use periods of U.S. and Australian coverage a worker earned prior to October 1, 2002, to establish entitlement to U.S. or Australian Totalization benefits. However, the earliest possible month of entitlement to such benefits is October 2002.

D. Summary of the U.S. - Australian Instructions

This subchapter provides:

  • a brief overview of the Australian system;

  • an explanation of the provisions of the Agreement, and

  • instructions on how to take and process claims for both U.S. and Australian social security benefits filed under the Agreement.

NOTE: 

For more information on the Australian social security system, click to visit theInternational Programs webpage. To find out how the Agreement eliminates dual coverage, see sections RS 02002.000 through RS 02002.048.

 


To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0201743001
GN 01743.001 - Overview and Effective Date of the Totalization Agreement with Australia - 02/02/2023
Batch run: 02/02/2023
Rev:02/02/2023