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The short answer
Yes, for many people. Nigeria is not on the SSA's list of countries where payments cannot be sent, so US citizens can be paid there. If you are not a US citizen, the SSA says payments continue in Nigeria only if you earned at least 40 US credits or lived in the US for at least 10 years; otherwise they stop after six full calendar months outside the US.
The short version
The Social Security Administration's guide Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States (April 2026) decides almost every case. It separates people into US citizens and non-citizens, then checks which country you are a citizen of. Nigeria appears once in that guide: in the chart of countries under its fifth continued-payment condition.
| You are | Can benefits be paid while you live in Nigeria? |
|---|---|
| A US citizen | Yes. Nigeria is not on the barred or restricted lists |
| A Nigerian citizen with at least 40 US credits | Yes, under condition 5 |
| A Nigerian citizen who lived in the US for at least 10 years | Yes, under condition 5 |
| A Nigerian citizen with neither | Payments stop after 6 full calendar months outside the US, unless another exception applies |
Why the 40 credits or 10 years matter
US law has an alien nonpayment rule. For non-citizens, the SSA stops payments once you have been outside the US for six full calendar months, unless you meet one of its conditions. Nigerian citizens are not in the lists of nationalities that qualify automatically (conditions 3 and 4), and Nigeria has no social security agreement with the US in the SSA's list. That leaves condition 5, which requires either:
- at least 40 credits earned under US Social Security, or
- at least 10 years of residence in the US.
Conditions 1 and 2, which cover cases such as certain military service or railroad work, apply to everyone whatever their citizenship.
Spouses, children and survivors
If you are drawing benefits on a worker's record, the worker must meet the 40-credit or 10-year test, and you must also meet extra residency requirements for dependants and survivors. A Nigerian spouse who never lived in the US for long can be caught by this, so check the dependant rules in the SSA guide before planning a move.
If payments stop
To restart them, the SSA requires you to be in the US for a full calendar month, from the first minute to the last, and it may ask you to prove lawful presence. A trip that lands on the 3rd of a month does not count for that month.
Tax withheld if you are not a US resident
Non-citizens who are not permanent residents have 30% federal income tax withheld from 85% of the benefit, which works out at 25.5% of the monthly amount. Treaties can reduce this; the SSA's list of such treaties names Canada, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Romania, Switzerland and the UK, and Nigeria is not among them.
Example only. A Nigerian citizen with 40 credits who has given up US residence and is due $1,400 a month would see $357 withheld (25.5%), leaving $1,043. A US citizen or green card holder living in Nigeria is not in this withholding category, though their benefit may still be taxable on their US return. The IRS also notes the SSA does the withholding; if it does not, the benefit is reported on Form 1040-NR.
How the money reaches you in Nigeria
The SSA guide lists these routes:
- Direct deposit to a US bank account, available wherever you live unless a payment restriction applies.
- Direct deposit to a foreign account, only in countries that have an international direct deposit agreement with the US. The guide points to an online list; check it for Nigeria before you count on this.
- A Direct Express debit card.
- A paper check, which takes longer abroad.
Many returnees keep a US account open for this reason. Whether your US bank allows a Nigerian address is the bank's decision, so ask before you move.
Three common situations
- Naturalised citizen retiring to Abuja
- Payments continue. The citizenship rule is met, so the 40-credit and 10-year tests do not apply. Choose how you will receive them.
- Green card holder who worked 12 years and moves to Enugu
- As a Nigerian citizen, condition 5 applies; 40 credits or 10 years' residence keeps payments going. Check how giving up the green card would change withholding.
- Spouse who joined a worker for 4 years
- Benefits on the worker's record need the worker to meet the test and the spouse to meet the extra dependant residency rules. Read that section of the SSA guide closely.
These are illustrations, not determinations. The SSA decides each case on your record, so ask it directly if your situation is borderline, and keep your residence history (leases, employment letters, tax returns) in case you need to show the years.
What to check before you move
- Your credits: your record at my Social Security shows how many you have earned.
- Your citizenship and residence history: count your years of US residence if you are short of 40 credits.
- How you will receive payments: a US account, Direct Express, or international direct deposit if Nigeria is on the list.
- Whether you will still be a US tax resident; see our guide to how Nigeria taxes income from the US for the other side.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme does not pay or collect US benefits. If your benefit lands in a US account, you can move what you need to a Pryme account, keep dollars in dollars and Swap to naira when you choose; the app shows the rate and fee before you approve. Naira deposits are held by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank. See the multicurrency account.
Questions people ask
Can I collect US Social Security in Nigeria?
US citizens can. Nigerian citizens can if they earned at least 40 US credits or lived in the US for at least 10 years; otherwise payments stop after six full calendar months abroad.
Does the US have a social security agreement with Nigeria?
Nigeria is not on the SSA's list of social security agreement countries in its April 2026 guide.
How much tax is withheld from Social Security for a nonresident?
30% of 85% of the benefit, which is 25.5% of the monthly amount, unless a treaty applies. Nigeria is not among the treaty countries the SSA lists.
Can Social Security pay into a Nigerian bank account?
Only if Nigeria has an international direct deposit agreement with the US; check the SSA's online list. Otherwise use a US account, Direct Express or a paper check.
Sources
- SSA, Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States (Publication 05-10137, April 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS, Federal income tax withholding and reporting on other kinds of US source income paid to nonresident aliens (updated 23 Jul 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.