# Should I pay Social Security to the US or France? Totalization Question.



## uncaged

My wife and I are Americans living in France since mid 2021. I have a US startup, and a French branch office (succursale, not filiale) of that US startup. I'm TNS (travailleur non salarié). We're on 4-year titre de séjours on Passeport Talent visas, and we plan to renew them, and request French (dual) citizenship. I'm 60, and would rather not lose my US social security. Am I correct that I can get a Certificate of Coverage from the US Social Security Administration, then I can give that to my French accountant and not have to pay France for retirement (that I'd never qualify for)?


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## Bevdeforges

You will not lose your US SS by moving to France and paying into their system for a few years. In fact, if you're on a Passeport Talent, I believe you are expected to be properly registered and paying into the French cotisation (and tax) systems from the get go.

The US SS only requires 40 quarters of service before you vest, so as long as you have 10 years of work in, you've already vested and can simply wait until you hit an age where you can start drawing benefits. And, at 65 you register for Medicare, no problem. 

Actually, at least right now, you only need a couple of years of paying into the French system to ultimately qualify for a (small, but steady) French pension. Thanks to the Social Security treaty between France and the US both sides count work experience on both sides of the Pond - so between your US and French working experience, you could very well have enough credits for a "full pension" (though based on your French income only), or at the very least, a "half pension." It's definitely worth doing things that way - and besides, it's the way you're supposed to do it here.


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