Banking, pensions and tax in Greece
Greece taxes residents' foreign pensions at 9% to 44%, but a new resident pensioner can choose a flat 7% tax on all foreign income instead.
How your pension reaches a Greece bank, what Greece taxes, and what you still report at home. Checked against official sources on Oct 8, 2026.
- Tax on a foreign pension
- 7% or 9% to 44% A 7% flat option for new residents. PwC Tax Summaries. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Top rate, local income
- 44% Over €60,000. PwC Tax Summaries. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- US Social Security
- Direct deposit SSA POMS. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- UK State Pension
- Uprated yearly GOV.UK. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- Canada OAS
- Agreement Canada.ca. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- US FBAR
- Over $10,000 Combined foreign accounts at any time in the year. FinCEN. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Getting your pension paid in Greece
United States
Social Security
Yes. Social Security can be paid straight into a euro account at a Greek bank: the Social Security Administration routes international direct deposits to Greece through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and has a sign-up form for Greece (SSA-1199-GR-OP1, with a Greek translation). Payments go only to EUR accounts.
SSA POMS. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
United Kingdom
State Pension
It can be paid into a bank in Greece or a UK account. Greece is in the European Economic Area, so the pension rises every year as it would in the UK.
GOV.UK. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Canada
Old Age Security
Paid while you live outside Canada only if you lived in Canada for at least 20 years after age 18. Canada and Greece have a social security agreement (first in force on May 1, 1983, replaced by a revised agreement from December 1, 1997), so years you lived in Greece after age 18 can count toward OAS.
Canada.ca. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Other countries: check whether your pension can be paid abroad, whether it keeps rising with inflation there, and whether your country has a social security agreement with Greece.
How Greece taxes you
Greece taxes its residents on worldwide income. Tax residence turns on your physical presence in Greece in any 12-month period and on your permanent home, habitual abode and personal and economic ties. A pension is taxed with salaries on a scale from 9% to 44%. A pensioner who moves tax residence to Greece from a country with a tax cooperation agreement with Greece, and was not a Greek tax resident in five of the previous six years, can instead pay a flat 7% a year on all foreign-source income, which settles the Greek tax on it; the application is due by 31 March of the tax year and the tax by 31 July. The income tax scale:
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to €10,000 | 9% |
| €10,000 to €20,000 | 20% |
| €20,000 to €30,000 | 26% |
| €30,000 to €40,000 | 34% |
| €40,000 to €60,000 | 39% |
| Over €60,000 | 44% |
PwC Tax Summaries. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
What US citizens still report
US citizens file a US return on worldwide income wherever they live; the US has an income tax treaty with Greece, which can decide which country taxes some income. Two reports cover money held abroad:
| FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) | Over $10,000 combined, any time |
| Form 8938, single, living abroad | Over $200,000 at year end or $300,000 any time |
| Form 8938, married filing jointly | Over $400,000 at year end or $600,000 any time |
FinCEN; IRS. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Pension and tax questions
Can I get US Social Security paid in Greece?
Yes. Social Security can be paid straight into a euro account at a Greek bank: the Social Security Administration routes international direct deposits to Greece through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and has a sign-up form for Greece (SSA-1199-GR-OP1, with a Greek translation). Payments go only to EUR accounts.
Will my UK State Pension go up each year in Greece?
It can be paid into a bank in Greece or a UK account. Greece is in the European Economic Area, so the pension rises every year as it would in the UK.
Is my pension taxed in Greece?
Yes. A resident's foreign pension is taxed on the normal scale of 9% to 44%. A pensioner who moves tax residence to Greece from a country with a tax cooperation agreement, and was not a Greek tax resident in five of the previous six years, can choose a flat 7% a year on all foreign income instead, applying by 31 March. US citizens still file a US return.
Do I still file a US tax return?
Yes, US citizens file on worldwide income wherever they live, and report foreign accounts on an FBAR once they pass $10,000 combined at any point in the year.
Can US Social Security be deposited to a bank in Greece?
Yes. The Social Security Administration pays by international direct deposit into euro accounts at Greek banks, with a sign-up form for Greece. It pays only into EUR accounts.
What is the Greek non-dom tax for retirees?
A pensioner moving tax residence to Greece from a country with a tax cooperation agreement, who was not a Greek tax resident in five of the previous six years, can pay a flat 7% a year on all foreign-source income. You apply by 31 March of the tax year and pay by 31 July.
How much tax would I pay on a pension in Greece without the 7% option?
Pension income is taxed on the 2026 scale: 9% on the first €10,000, then 20%, 26%, 34% and 39% on each next band, and 44% above €60,000.
