Most streets have one. The retired neighbor who waves in spring, disappears for a stretch, and comes back with a tan and no real explanation. Nobody asked, so nobody knows.
Plenty of retirees do split their year between home and another country, and they rarely announce it. The clues are usually small and practical, tucked into paperwork, rules and habits rather than anything dramatic. Here are eight that tend to give the arrangement away.
The Benefit Checks Keep Arriving From an Empty Driveway
There is no time limit on how long a person can live outside the country and receive Social Security benefits.[1] That single fact makes a half year abroad financially simple for many retirees. The Social Security Administration pays about $7.5 billion in benefits annually to more than 760,000 beneficiaries outside the United States, according to 2024 State Department data.[1]
There is paperwork, though. Proof of life documents have to be signed and returned each year[2], and Form SSA-7162 asks about changes to residency and marital status, among other things.[2] A few destinations are off limits, since the SSA cannot send payments to Cuba or North Korea.[3]
They Count Days Like Other People Count Calories
Anyone spending long stretches in Europe lives by a simple limit. Visa free travelers can stay up to 90 days in any 180 day period.[4] That works out to roughly half of any window at most, which is why a neighbor who talks about “my days” may not be talking about their schedule at all.
The window is slippery, too. The 180 day period rolls rather than resetting, and it isn’t a fixed half year that begins on January 1.[5] Since April 2026 the counting is no longer a guessing game, because the Entry/Exit System replaced passport stamps with a biometric record of every entry and exit and works out overstays automatically.[6]
A Folder of Health Insurance Papers Sits Near the Suitcase
Medicare is the part many people get wrong. It generally does not cover healthcare services received outside the United States.[7] On top of that, most foreign hospitals do not file Medicare claims, so you may need to pay upfront and submit the claim yourself.[7]
So seasonal travelers tend to build their own safety net. Medigap Plan G includes a foreign travel emergency benefit, covering 80 percent after a $250 deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime maximum.[8] Many also hold on to Medicare itself, since most people pay nothing for Part A, which makes it usually best to keep.[9] Part B may be worth keeping too if you plan to return or visit often.[9]
There’s a Bank Account They Never Mention
Spending months in another country often means a local account for rent, utilities and groceries. That simple convenience carries a reporting duty. An FBAR must be filed if the combined maximum value of all foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any point in the calendar year, even for a single day.[10]
It’s a filing requirement, not a bill. It is not a tax, and you must file even if you earned no income.[10] The report is generally due April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15.[11] A separate form, Form 8938, applies if specified foreign financial assets exceed the IRS threshold for your filing status and residency.[12]
Their Travel Talk Keeps Circling the Same Few Countries
Retirees who live part of the year abroad tend to cluster. According to recent SSA data, the top countries for retirees receiving benefits are Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain.[13] If your neighbor keeps bringing up one of those places, that’s the pattern showing through.
The official count may also understate the reality. The State Department estimates about 1.6 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico.[14] Yet only about 58,000 collect Social Security at Mexican addresses[14], which suggests many part year residents never show up in the benefit statistics.
They Know Better Than to Trust an ETIAS Email
Europe’s new travel authorization has been a moving target. In mid July 2026 the official ETIAS page was updated to remove the last quarter of 2026 launch window.[15] Independent reporting still points to a 2027 launch as the realistic outcome[15], and no new date has been published.
That makes this a good moment for scams. Any website currently accepting ETIAS applications is fraudulent.[15] A well informed traveler knows that once it starts, US citizens will need a EUR 20 online authorization valid for three years[6], and that it does not change the 90/180 rule.[6]
Tax Season Looks Different From Next Door
Moving part of your life overseas doesn’t switch off the IRS. Americans living abroad may still need to file a U.S. tax return and report worldwide income.[11] The foreign earned income exclusion and foreign tax credit may help some taxpayers avoid double taxation.[11]
Benefits can be taxed, too. For 2025 returns, up to 85 percent of Social Security benefits may be taxable, depending on provisional income, filing status and treaty rules.[3] Retirees with foreign pensions also saw a change, as the Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, ended the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset for benefits payable for January 2024 and later.[3]
The Math Behind It Is About Budgets as Much as Beaches
Adventure is part of the story, but money is another. Some retirees move abroad because they can’t comfortably live on a fixed income in the U.S., where housing and healthcare costs are becoming less affordable.[16] Others always dreamed of travel and immersing themselves in other cultures.[16]
The group is still small. Those collecting abroad make up barely one percent of all Social Security beneficiaries[14], yet it’s growing. Roughly 700,000 receive benefits abroad, up more than 20 percent in a dozen years[13], and the true number is likely bigger than the standard count suggests.[14]
