Thailand Now On List Of Countries For Direct Deposits Of Social Security Payments

[ubonjoe]

PAYMENTS TO BENEFICIARIES OUTSIDE THE U.S.

NOVEMBER 2018

COUNTRIES WITH SSA'S
INTERNATIONAL DIRECT DEPOSIT 

THAILAND    Nov 2018

Source: https://www.ssa.gov/deposit/GIS/data/Reports/ALLCTRYWEB.htm

 

Now to find out which banks and how it will be done.

 

[bwpage3]

What happens to the other 2%?

[Pib]

Time to ask the Manila FBU Social Security Office about the sign-up form and other specifics.  Hopefully they are clued in.

 

There is also a possibility Thailand IDD is not open for mass enrollment yet as the SSA started off with a Thailand IDD pilot/test program of less than 10 people.  The US Embassy earlier mentioned the Thailand IDD would be available the first quarter of 2019.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Pib

[Pib]

Partial quote from SSA website shown below as what is suppose to happen when a country is added to the SSA IDD list.  See weblink for full/more details.

 

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202402205

 

Quote

 

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)

Effective Dates: 04/09/2018 - PresentPrevious | Next

TN 99 (04-18)

GN 02402.205 Direct Deposit Enrollment Outside of the United States

A. Direct Deposit Mass Enrollment

Special mass enrollment operations occur the first year international direct deposit (IDD) is available in a particular country. Mass enrollment also occurs when the Regional Federal Benefits Officer (RFBO) wants to increase direct deposit use. During mass enrollment, beneficiaries residing in a particular country receive:

• •an enrollment form designed for that country;
• •a pre-addressed return envelope; and
• •a message describing the benefits of direct deposit and the contact information for direct deposit changes or problems.

A beneficiary can find out more information about IDD on our website or by sending a request for information to:

Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings and International Operations 
Division of International Operations
P.O. Box 17769
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7769
USA

 

 

[connda]

US citizens have been able to get Social Security deposited directly into their account before this announcement.  As such, what difference does this make?

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, connda said:

US citizens have been able to get Social Security deposited directly into their account before this announcement.  As such, what difference does this make?

But not directly to a bank here in Thailand.

It had to be direct deposited to a bank in the states or via Bangkok Banks New York branch.

[OmarZaid]

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

But not directly to a bank here in Thailand.

It had to be direct deposited to a bank in the states or via Bangkok Banks New York branch.

I have had mine deposited directly to Bangkok Bank for two years now .... to my knowledge that is the only approved bank of receipt. Manila SSN officers informed me of this and provided directives. They also processed children's benefits for my boys in Malaysia. Application must be made to local branch, then forwarded to Bangkok Main Office for processing -- THEY then send it straight to SSN -- most branch managers are familiar with the process -- if not, they simply contact Main Office for directives. The entire process took  2 - 3 months from start to finish once I approached the local branch in Chiang Kham, Phayao ... 

[keithet]

I wonder how much thai bank fees will be? I have Kbank

[ubonjoe]

38 minutes ago, OmarZaid said:

I have had mine deposited directly to Bangkok Bank for two years now .... to my knowledge that is the only approved bank of receipt. Manila SSN officers informed me of this and provided directives.

It is direct deposited via ACH to Bangkok Banks New York Branch. Not the sames as International Direct Deposits that the topic is about.

I also have mine sent to Bangkok Bank via New York.

[ubonjoe]

40 minutes ago, keithet said:

I wonder how much thai bank fees will be? I have Kbank

It should be the standard .25% that most banks charge for international transfers unless there is a correspondent bank involved.

[keithet]

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It should be the standard .25% that most banks charge for international transfers unless there is a correspondent bank involved.

Interesting 

When I transfer a large sum from American bank to Kbank.  Kbank charges 100 baht. 

I guess it would be different having a ssa check derect deposit because they would have to exchange it to baht and I would be at the mercy of what exchange rate is for that day. 

[ubonjoe]

50 minutes ago, keithet said:

When I transfer a large sum from American bank to Kbank.  Kbank charges 100 baht. 

The 100 baht is probably the minimum fee. Most banks have a minimum and maximum fee. Bangkok Bank's is 200 and 500 baht.

[fantom]

The bank fee is one thing, the important figure to check is the exchange rate.

 

By the way the title is a bit misleading ("Thailand Now On List Of Countries For Direct Deposits Of Social Security Payments"), there are other countries apart from the US.

[Pib]

2 hours ago, keithet said:

Interesting 

When I transfer a large sum from American bank to Kbank.  Kbank charges 100 baht. 

I guess it would be different having a ssa check derect deposit because they would have to exchange it to baht and I would be at the mercy of what exchange rate is for that day. 

The K-bank receiving fee for an incoming international transfer in foreign currency or baht is 0.25% (Bt200 min, Bt500max).  This fee does "not" appear anywhere on your Kbank account as it's applied "before posting" to your account.    This fools a lot of people into thinking no fee was applied but indeed it was.

 

The Bt100 fee is probably an inter-region transfer fee (it does appear on your account) as Kbank transfers the funds from it's HQ receiving the international transfer to your particular branch.

 

 

[Pib]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

 Bangkok Bank's is 200 and 500 baht.

Specifically it's 0.25% (Bt200 min, Bt500 max) which means the fee can range anywhere between 200 to 500.

[JRUSA]

21 hours ago, Pib said:

Time to ask the Manila FBU Social Security Office about the sign-up form and other specifics.  Hopefully they are clued in.

 

There is also a possibility Thailand IDD is not open for mass enrollment yet as the SSA started off with a Thailand IDD pilot/test program of less than 10 people.  The US Embassy earlier mentioned the Thailand IDD would be available the first quarter of 2019.

My direct deposit from the U.S. started in October..from what manila told me only Bangkok bank is authorized..

And direct to my bank in Pattaya.. I think my exchange rate was .05 less than TT was giving..

Also all I had to do was change my direct deposit on the online website.. in August.. I had the option to start receiving in October or November..

Edited December 1, 2018 by JRUSA

[malibukid]

now if only Thailand would accept Medicare payments

[Pib]

3 hours ago, OmarZaid said:

I have had mine deposited directly to Bangkok Bank for two years now .... to my knowledge that is the only approved bank of receipt. Manila SSN officers informed me of this and provided directives. They also processed children's benefits for my boys in Malaysia. Application must be made to local branch, then forwarded to Bangkok Main Office for processing -- THEY then send it straight to SSN -- most branch managers are familiar with the process -- if not, they simply contact Main Office for directives. The entire process took  2 - 3 months from start to finish once I approached the local branch in Chiang Kham, Phayao ... 

Hopefully you are aware that unless Bangkok Bank is receiving your payment in "IAT" format, effective 1 Apr 19 your SSA payment will be rejected back to SSA.

 

Recommend you review below thread/links on subject....and also call the POC on the Bangkok Bank letter at bottom "to specifically ask if your payment is currently being received in IAT format."  For many people (like on of my family members) it's not being received in IAT format but PPD format.  The PPD format will be rejected effective 1 Apr 19.  

 

 

 

 

Also review this Bangkok Bank webpage regarding the policy change

https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch

 

 

And here is a key letter anyone with a Bangkok Bangkok Direct Deposit account is "suppose" to receive on one of their visit to their branch to withdraw funds from the account.    Personally, I doubt many of the branches are handing out the letter.

 

[Pib]

20 minutes ago, JRUSA said:

My direct deposit from the U.S. started in October..from what manila told me only Bangkok bank is authorized..

And direct to my bank in Pattaya.. I think my exchange rate was .05 less than TT was giving..

Also all I had to do was change my direct deposit on the online website.. in August.. I had the option to start receiving in October or November..

You got the exact exchange web...was no .05 less.  I expect you did not take into account the two Bangkok Bank fees (one from the NY branch and one from your local branch) for international transfers/payments such as SS, military retirement, etc.  These fees do not appear on your bank account as they the applied before posting to your account.

 

You can also sign-up for the free SMS Remittance Alert from Bangkok Bank that shows amount received Thailand, exchange rate, local fee, and posting amount/date/time.   The dollar amount shown as rec'd will be lite the NY branch fee.  

Edited December 1, 2018 by Pib

[sirineou]

This is good news indeed. One less headache.

Thank you Ubonjoe for this very useful information. 

[Pib]

Everyone needs to keep in mind the main reason Thailand has been added to the SSA IDD is because of the Bangkok Bank policy change which will reject all incoming "non-IAT" format payments/transfers effective 1 Apr 19. 

 

People will either need to work with the US govt agency making the payment to get it changed from PPD format to IAT format (sounds easy, but apparently ain't) or switch to IDD (which should be easy....submit one form to sign up once IDD is opened to everyone in Thailand).

 

The US Embassy Bangkok worked with the SSA to have Thailand added to the SSA IDD list because many people are going to be affected on 1 Apr 19 by the Bangkok Bank policy change which is driven by US Treasury and NACHA policy changes.   

 

Just because you have been receiving payments no problem so far does not mean you will not be impacted 1 Apr 19.  Don't set around fat, dumb, and happy until you confirm your payment is rec'd in IAT format.   

 

Unless your ACH transfers/payments are being transmitted/received in "IAT" format you are going to be in for a surprise come Apr 19 and your payment you have been receiving for many years does not show up....you start checking into why not....you find out the transfer/payment was rejected by Bangkok Bank....a policy change they initially announced by in Apr 18 (eighteen)...been quite a few TV threads on this policy change.   And as mentioned even the US Embassy Bangkok got involved to help fix the issue at least for SSA payments.

 

In closing, just because SSA has added Thailand to their list of approved IDD countries does not mean any other U.S. govt agency such as DFAS which pays military retirement pensions has done so as each agency has it's own IDD list of approved countries.   The SSA IDD approved listed has approx twice the number of countries than DFAS....Thailand is not on the DFAS IDD list as of today (I just checked).

 

 

[Formaleins]

Well, not quite what I was hoping for. I was dreaming that the British Government had sanctioned Unemployment Benefit, Sick Pay, Housing Benefit and Income Support to be paid directly into our Thai bank accounts.

I expect that signing on every two weeks could prove a bit of a hassle though.

[Pib]

I was searching on the SSA website and in their Program Operations Manual System (POMS) which is policy/instructions I found some guidance regarding Thailand IDD.   Go to below weblink for full details...and keep in mind this is detailed info/guidance for SSA personnel. 

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202402419

 

And please note it appears a person will have to have a "U.S. Dollar account" or commonly referred to as a Foreign Currency Deposit (FCD) account by Thai banks.  So, it appears to use SSA IDD a person will need to open a FCD account; not a Thai baht account like the current Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit savings account.  A FCD has slightly different rules and fees compared to a Thai baht account. See partial quote below from above weblink.  FI mean Financial Institution.   DIO means the Division of International Operations in Baltimore.  The FBU would be the Manila FBU. 

 

I haven't found the IDD signup form for Thailand yet....maybe still being developed.  We'll all need to wait for more guidance.

 

Quote

 

D. Overview of IDD for Thailand

IDD payments sent to Thailand must be in U.S. Dollars (USD) accounts at local FIs. The beneficiary must provide complete information to DIO or the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) for input. DIO faxes incomplete forms to the FBU that serves Thailand. The FBU contacts the beneficiary or FI for the additional information.

 

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by Pib

[dave s]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

You can also sign-up for the free SMS Remittance Alert from Bangkok Bank that shows amount received Thailand, exchange rate, local fee, and posting amount/date/time.   The dollar amount shown as rec'd will be lite the NY branch fee.  

Looks like I did the wrong thing at first. I had originally signed up for "account alerts", like:

    https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Digital-Banking/SMS-Services/SMS-Account-Alert

Resulting SMS from "BANGKOKBANK: "Thank you for your SMS Acocunt Alert registration for account *****. It is free for the first 2 months. After that, the fee is 15 Bt/month."  US SSA typically pays foreign residents on the third of the month. SMS on November 5: "Deposit/transfer to your account ***** of Bt ***** via AUTO; the available balance is Bt *****." Not what Pib has suggested. Seems you have to call 1333, or go to an ATM, or the bank, to turn it off. Apparently, what I should have done instead:

    https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Digital-Banking/SMS-Services/SMS-Remittance-Alert

which advertises a free "foreign remittance alert". Seems you need to go to the bank or an ATM to sign up.

 

[moe666]

Does it really matter how it is done as long as you get the money, a friend had his deposited for years in BBK bank

[Kurtf]

Big deal. I’ve been having my SS check directly deposited to Bangkok bank in NYC for the past 6 years are withdrawing from any Bangkok branch in Thailand with zero extra withdrawal fees. So what’s all the fuss about?

[Pib]

Big deal. I’ve been having my SS check directly deposited to Bangkok bank in NYC for the past 6 years are withdrawing from any Bangkok branch in Thailand with zero extra withdrawal fees. So what’s all the fuss about?

Is your SS payment currently being received in IAT format? If so you are good to go. If you have not specifically asked Bangkok Bank about your payment format then you can not answer the question. Many people's SS payments are not being received in IAT format.

If your SS payment is not being received in IAT format you'll be making a fuss come Apr 19.

[Pib]

Does it really matter how it is done as long as you get the money, a friend had his deposited for years in BBK bank

It sure don't. However, if your friend's payment is not being received in ACH "IAT" format come Apr 19 his years of no problem ACH deposits/transfers to Bangkok Bank end. Then it will matter.

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, Pib said:

It sure don't. However, if your friend's payment is not being received in ACH "IAT" format come Apr 19 his years of no problem ACH deposits/transfers to Bangkok Bank end. Then it will matter.

 

I can't understand why people don't get it that Bangkok Bank might not be an option in the near future. 

If direct SS funds is available straight from the SS administration to you bank IMO it's a no brainer.

My Dad did it when he retired in Greece for over Twenty 20 years with no problems, and I will do it when I start receiving SS benefits  in Thailand if available then.

IMO Great news.

[srowndedbyh2o]

3 hours ago, Pib said:

I was searching on the SSA website and in their Program Operations Manual System (POMS) which is policy/instructions I found some guidance regarding Thailand IDD.   Go to below weblink for full details...and keep in mind this is detailed info/guidance for SSA personnel. 

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202402419

 

And please note it appears a person will have to have a "U.S. Dollar account" or commonly referred to as a Foreign Currency Deposit (FCD) account by Thai banks.  So, it appears to use SSA IDD a person will need to open a FCD account; not a Thai baht account like the current Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit savings account.  A FCD has slightly different rules and fees compared to a Thai baht account. See partial quote below from above weblink.  FI mean Financial Institution.   DIO means the Division of International Operations in Baltimore.  The FBU would be the Manila FBU. 

 

I haven't found the IDD signup form for Thailand yet....maybe still being developed.  We'll all need to wait for more guidance.

 

 

Pib, thank you for keeping us posted.