Dear Rusty: I am a 62 year old Canadian holding a green card and I have lived in the US for nearly twenty-three years. For 19 years prior I contributed to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) which is the equivalent of US Social Security. I am contemplating retirement in the US and have been told that I can draw my old age pension from either the US, or from Canada, but I cannot draw from both. 

My 19 years of contributions to the Canadian Pension Plan are not accounted for in the calculation of my U.S. SS benefits. Conversations with the U.S. Social Security office suggested that my contributions to the CPP would “probably” be applied to my U.S. pension upon application for benefits. However, the individual I spoke with was not sure how that would work. Do you know the process for having my Canadian earnings transferred to my U.S. SS account and how I might find out what my combined benefits will be? Signed: Retiring Canadian

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