# Totalisation Agreement



## Meepmeepy (Sep 17, 2014)

Hey,

Our accountant applied for my wifes totalisation agreement back in late Feb and not got anything back yet. Time isn't critical as we did get a 6 month extension on the returns but obviously this is quite an important thing to get as she is self employed. Anyone know roughly how long it takes to get a certificate or whatever it is back?

My wife is a US citizen living in the UK.


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## Meepmeepy (Sep 17, 2014)

I'm assuming nobody else has had to get one of these? heh. Guess I will just harass the accountant to chase it up perhaps.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I'll admit that I'm a bit puzzled as to what it is your wife needs to get.

A totalization agreement usually (at least as far as I've heard it referred to) refers to an agreement or treaty between two countries about social insurance benefits between the two countries. Where you say your wife is a US citizen and self-employed, I might hazard a guess and say that what she needs is a certificate of coverage in the UK social insurance system, which would then be used to validate the fact that she is not liable to the US for "self-employment tax" (which is actually US social security, or payments toward the US government "pension" program).

To be perfectly honest, you don't actually need the coverage certification (from the UK social insurances agency, I would expect) in order to file the US taxes. But she should have it handy in the off chance the IRS should come back and ask her for it.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Meepmeepy (Sep 17, 2014)

Bevdeforges said:


> I'll admit that I'm a bit puzzled as to what it is your wife needs to get.
> 
> A totalization agreement usually (at least as far as I've heard it referred to) refers to an agreement or treaty between two countries about social insurance benefits between the two countries. Where you say your wife is a US citizen and self-employed, I might hazard a guess and say that what she needs is a certificate of coverage in the UK social insurance system, which would then be used to validate the fact that she is not liable to the US for "self-employment tax" (which is actually US social security, or payments toward the US government "pension" program).
> 
> ...


*facepalms* our accountant sent a request to be exempt from US self employment taxes to the US address... when it should have been the UK one. Fortunately I noticed now when we have 6 months to obtain it before filing. Thanks for highlighting this for me.


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