I've been saving up some questions from readers who either live, or plan to live, outside the United States. Of course, all of their questions have to do with their eligibility for Social Security benefits.

Before I go any further, I am going to point out that the rules regarding getting Social Security benefits overseas can be quite complicated, especially for people who are not U.S. citizens but who are living here legally and who worked and paid Social Security taxes in the U.S., or who are married to someone who did. There are so many variables to their potential eligibility for benefits that I can never be 100 percent sure I am giving them accurate information. That's why I always refer people in these situations to a booklet the Social Security Administration produces called "Social Security — Your Payments While You Are Outside The United States." Here is a link to that pamphlet: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf. If you are considering moving to another country, you definitely need to read that booklet. But I will take a stab at these questions anyway.

Q: I am a 66-year-old retiree who is thinking of moving to England. Can I get my benefits there?

A: You didn't say, but I will assume you are a U.S. citizen. If you are, then you can move just about anywhere in the world and your Social Security benefits will follow you. Your Social Security payments will be directly deposited to the bank of your choice in Great Britain.

Q: I am a U.S. citizen who retired and moved to Belize. I am about to turn 62, and based on all my research, I am sure I can get my Social Security benefits here. But my primary question is about my wife. She is a German citizen. Will she be able to get any of my Social Security benefits?

A: You are right. As a U.S. citizen, you can get your Social Security benefits while living in Belize. But your wife is a different story. You are going to have to read the booklet I mentioned earlier because there are many variables that could impact her eligibility. I will mention just one of them. Your wife must have lived with you in this country for at least five years before you moved to Belize.

Q: I am a U.S. citizen who recently moved to Florence, Italy. I am 65 years old and took my Social Security at age 63 back when I still lived in America. I have been offered a job working with American tour groups. It's just part-time work and I will make only about $10,000 per year, well under the Social Security earning penalty limits. I thought everything was OK until I talked to someone at the local U.S. consulate. She told me I will lose my Social Security check any month I work over 45 hours. (I would probably work well over 45 hours especially in the summer months.) I saw your column online and was hoping you could help.

A: It all depends on if you are working for an American employer or an Italian one. If the tour company you will work for is American, then the same rules apply to you there in Florence as they would here in the U.S. And those rules say as long as you keep your earnings under $15,720 per year, you will be due all of your Social Security benefits.

But if you work for an Italian (or other foreign) employer, then the 45-hour rule the consulate official told you about applies. And to reiterate, that rule says any month you work for more than 45 hours, you aren't due your Social Security benefit. It doesn't matter how much you might work in any one day or week, or how much money you might earn. If you go over the 45-hour monthly limit, you lose a check for that month.

And if you are working for a foreign employer, you should know that once you reach age 66, all these earnings penalty rules go out the window and you can work as much as you want and make as much money as you want and still keep getting your Social Security checks.

Q: I am 68 years old and getting my Social Security. I have a 64-year-old Mexican-born wife who is getting spousal benefits on my record. She is not a U.S. citizen but she has lived in this country (legally) for 27 years. We have been married for 25 years. We are thinking of moving to Mexico. I called Social Security and they told me that if we move, they will automatically withhold 30 percent of each of our Social Security benefits. Is this true?

A. It's not quite true. I take it from the tone of your email that you are a U.S. citizen. If that is the case, then your benefits will be subject to taxes once you move to Mexico in the same way your benefits are currently subject to taxes here in the U.S. But they will not withhold any of your benefits up front directly from your Social Security checks.

But it is a different story for your wife. Because she is not a U.S. citizen, the law says the government must withhold federal income taxes before sending her check to Mexico. This may sound a little convoluted, but they must withhold 30 percent of 85 percent of her benefits. By the way, this up-front withholding does not take place for people who live in countries that have a tax treaty with the U.S. Unfortunately, Mexico is not one of those countries.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has the answer. Contact him at [email protected]. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.