Do I need to declare all of my income when applying for Pensionado Residency?

No, you are not required to declare all of your income when showing proof of US $1,000 income when apply for residency under the Pensionado program. "You are not required to inform immigration if you have multiple pensions/SS payments, only the one that you choose to use and is nearest to the $1000 minimum required. 7-10% should be in the ballpark of this declared amount, but unfortunately one never knows 'exactly' what it will be, until at the end of the game," wrote one expat in a discussion about Pensionado status.

The reason it is important to understand this is because the level of income you show proof of when applying for residency is used to calculate your CAJA payments. CAJA is calculated as a percentage of your declared income.

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About the Author

Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in International Business and German.

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Do I need to declare all of my income when applying for Pensionado Residency?

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