A Totalization benefit is a U.S. or foreign social security benefit for which entitlement is established only as a result of a Totalization agreement. All the agreements provide that the United States may use credits from the foreign country to help a person meet the minimum coverage requirements for U.S. benefits. Some agreements provide that the foreign country can count U.S. credits to help a person meet the minimum length-of-work requirement for foreign benefits. However, other agreements do not permit the foreign country to count U.S. quarters of coverage to help an individual qualify for a foreign benefit. Rather, the length-of-coverage requirements for the foreign benefit are simply reduced.
both countries paying Totalization benefits based on the agreement,
one country paying regular (non-Totalization) benefits (if the worker is insured under its system) and the other country paying Totalization benefits based on the agreement,
both countries paying regular (non-Totalization) benefits, or