totalization-agreement

US Social Security for returning NRIs: what happens to your FICA contributions after you leave

Indian professionals on H-1B pay thousands in FICA taxes every year. When they return to India, most assume it's lost. The India-US Social Security Totalization Agreement — signed but not yet in force — leaves returning NRIs in a grey zone. Here's what you're actually entitled to, what you're not, and what to do.