Effective Dates: 10/13/2022 - Present Previous | Next

TN 10 (10-22)

GN 01709.120 U.S. Totalization Benefits under the U.S. - Swiss Agreement

A. Qualification for benefits

Under the Agreement, if a number holder (NH) has at least six U.S. quarters of coverage (QCs) but not enough to receive regular U.S. benefits, the United States can count the NH's QCs under the Swiss social security system to permit the NH (with any dependents or survivors) to qualify for U.S. Totalization benefits.

B. Crediting Swiss coverage

SSA will credit one U.S. QC for every three months of Swiss coverage in a year.

However, SSA will not give credit for:

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

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    More than four QCs for any calendar year; or

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    Any period of coverage not based on contributions.

C. Computing benefits in the United States

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

D. Adjudicating the claim in the United States

1. Field office responsibilities

When a NH does not have enough U.S. coverage to meet fully insured status, but the NH has at least six QCs, Field Office (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 requirements based on U.S. coverage alone, and that we will request the applicant's Swiss earnings record.

The FO routes the claim to:

Social Security Administration
Division of International Operations
P.O. Box 17769
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7769
FAX number: 410-966-1861

NOTE: If courier service is used, mail to:

Social Security Administration
Division of International Operations
6100 Wabash Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21215

For more information about processing Totalization insured status notices for claims for U.S. benefits, see GN 01702.315 through GN 01702.325.

2. Division of International Operations (DIO) responsibilities

DIO requests and converts Swiss periods of coverage on the Swiss earnings record to U.S. QCs before adjudicating the claim.

E. References

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

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    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/0201709120
GN 01709.120 - U.S. Totalization Benefits under the U.S. - Swiss Agreement - 10/13/2022
Batch run: 03/03/2025
Rev:10/13/2022