International Programs

Totalization Agreement with Uruguay

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

Introduction

For Uruguay, the Agreement covers contributory benefits for disability, old-age and survivors managed by the Banco de Previsión Social (Social Security Bank), the Caja Notarial de Seguridad Social (Notarial Social Security Fund), the Caja de Jubilaciones y Pensiones de Profesionales Universitarios (Pension and Retirement Fund of University Professionals), the Caja de Jubilaciones y Pensiones Bancarias (Banking Pension and Retirement Fund), the Servicio de Retiros y Pensiones Policiales (Police Retirement and Pension Fund), and the Servicio de Retiros y Pensiones de las Fuerzas Armadas (Armed Forces Pension and Retirement Fund).

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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 Uruguay are assigned Uruguayan coverage.
  • Self-employed workers who normally work in the United States but transfer their business activity to Uruguay for five years or fewer are assigned U.S. coverage.
  • Self-employed workers who normally work in Uruguay but transfer their business activity to the U.S. for five years or fewer are assigned Uruguayan coverage.

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Uruguayan 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:

Banco de Previsión Social
Sector Convenios y Asuntos Internacionales
Colonia 1881 piso 6,
CP, 112000
MONTEVIDEO
URUGUAY

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 Uruguay 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);
  • Date of transfer and anticipated date of return of employment or self-employment in the Agreement country; and
  • Worker’s contact email address.

In addition, your employer must indicate if you remain an employee of the U.S. company while working in Uruguay or if you become an employee of the U.S. company’s affiliate in Uruguay.

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

The Uruguayan social security system measures periods of coverage in months. For example, three months of Uruguayan coverage is equal to one U.S. credit. For simplicity, the following table shows the amount of credits a person needs to qualify for a Uruguayan benefit in terms of years.

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. For more information see How You Earn Credits (Publication No. 05-10072).

The Uruguayan system measures credits in months. To simplify the information in the table, we show the requirements in years of credits.

Retirement or old-age benefits

United States

Uruguay

Worker—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from 6 to 40 (40 credits if age 62 in 1991 or later).

Worker— Full benefit at age 60 with a minimum of 30 years of contributions. Women receive one year credit (up to five years) if caring for biological or adopted child. Additional years credited to teachers and workers in hazardous occupations.

Deferred benefit payable at age 70 with at least 15 years of contributions or reaching 25 years of contributions, whichever occurs first.

*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age gradually increases until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

Disability benefits

United States

Uruguay

Worker—Under full retirement age* can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. Depending on age at date of onset, from 6 to 40 credits needed. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind.

Worker— Must have a loss of at least 66 percent of working capacity and at least age 26, and have a minimum of 2 years of covered earnings (at least six months coverage immediately prior to disability onset,

If disabled under age 26, the two-year minimum contribution is waived; six-month requirement remains.

If disability onset is a result of work activity, both coverage requirements waived.

*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age gradually increases until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people

United States

Uruguay

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 for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age gradually increases until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

Survivors benefits

United States

Uruguay

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 continue if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled).

Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years.

Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker.

Surviving Spouse or partner—must have lived with the deceased for at least five years or had children with the deceased. 

Children—must be younger than age 18 (age 25, if a student, no limit if disabled). 

Dependent parents and dependent siblings with disability. 

Divorced spouses entitled to alimony at time of worker’s death.

Registered partners and disabled parents of the worker who were dependent on the worker at the time of the worker's death. 

Deceased worker must have been working, receiving, or eligible to receive:

  • Old-age;
  • Disability benefits;
  • Sickness;
  • Maternity;
  • Work injury; or
Unemployment benefits.

Lump-Sum Death Benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker.

Lump-Sum Death Benefit—No provision.

*Full retirement age for people born 1943-1954 is age 66. The full retirement age gradually increases until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

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How benefits can be paid

If you have social security credits in both the United States and Uruguay, 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 Uruguayan credits. However, for us to count your Uruguayan credits, you must have 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 Uruguayan credits.
  • Benefits from Uruguay - If you do not have enough work credits under the Uruguayan system to qualify for benefits, Uruguay can count your credits under the U.S. Social Security system to help you qualify for Uruguayan benefits. There is no minimum work requirement for Uruguay to count U.S. credits.

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Claims for benefits

If you live in the United States and want to apply for United States or Uruguayan benefits:

If you live in Uruguay and wish to apply for benefits, contact:

The Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) (Costa Rica), the FBU operates on an appointments-only system. To schedule an appointment or to obtain information, contact the FBU by using their online form. 

  • You can call (506) 2519-2000 and ask about U.S. benefits, or contact;
  • The Banco de Previsión Social (BPS) to ask about Uruguayan benefits.

If you live outside the United States, write to:

Federal Benefits Unit
Unites States Embassy
Calle 120 Avenida o
Pavas 1200
San Jose
COSTA RICA

You can apply in one country and ask that country to consider your application as a claim for benefits from the other country. Each country will process your claim under its own laws, count credits from the other country as the Agreement requires, and notify you of its decision.

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.
  • Uruguayan ID number.
  • Proof of age for all claimants.
  • Evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months.
  • Information about the worker’s coverage under the Uruguayan system.

You may wish to call the social security office before you go there to see if you need to provide any other information.

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Payment of benefits

Each country pays its own benefit. The U.S. Department of the Treasury makes U.S. payments each month that cover benefits for the preceding month. Under the Uruguayan system, the Uruguayan Social Insurance Bank makes payments each month. For more information, contact the Uruguayan authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”

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For more information about Uruguay's social security programs

For more information about Uruguayan social security, write to:

Banco de Previsión Social
Sector Convenios y Asuntos Internacionales
Colonia 1881 piso 6,
CP, 112000
MONTEVIDEO
URUGUAY

Official webpage: Social security | Live in Uruguay

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