For US expat retirees - Best time to report change of address to SSA Manila?

[watthong]

I know that under the old normal (ie non covid time) US expat retirees will receive SSA "dead or alive" letter sometime in June. (I only guess that SSA US office sends the letter out sometime May/June for it to get here in June.) I'm moving to a new address in July. I'm kind of waiting for the letter to be sent out before I contact SSA Manila to make the change of address, that way, with covid new normal I only have to deal with one uncertainty, as to when the letter will get here (to the OLD address.) 

But if I report the change to Manila now, I will have to deal with two uncertainties: 1) when the letter will get here (Thailand) and 2) whether it will come to the NEW or OLD address?
So I'm seeking advice as to which timing is better, to report to Manila now or do it in July? Thank you much in advance.

[ubonjoe]

If you changed your address now it would not be shown on the report form which means it will go to your current address.

Unless mail is very very slow you should have it before you move.

[jeffandgop]

I have sent 3 emails to the Manila SSA office since 10 May to report a change of address and no one has acknowledged or responded.  And my tax refund, which should have been direct deposited, was mailed supposedly from the IRS 17 March. I still haven't seen that check either....

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

I have sent 3 emails to the Manila SSA office since 10 May to report a change of address and no one has acknowledged or responded.

When I changed my address a few years ago the only reply I got back from them was for about my 3rd follow up email that was a not so polite one saying it was done.

[mtls2005]

3 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

And my tax refund, which should have been direct deposited, was mailed supposedly from the IRS 17 March. I still haven't seen that check either....

 

May I ask how you were able to get this information?

 

I mailed my return Feb 22, and the IRS2Go app shows it as received, but still being processed. I too had a portion of my over-payment direct-deposited. I have not recevied that, nor my stimulus payment.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

May I ask how you were able to get this information?

Perhaps on this site. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment

It should show any payment made to you including a refund.

[mtls2005]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Perhaps on this site. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment

 

Thank you. This site reflects different information than the IRS2Go app.

 

Upon review, I see that I dropped one leading zero on my 1040 line 21d (Account Number), grrr.

 

We scheduled your check to be mailed on May 08, 2020 to the address we have on file for you.

 

So I guess my refund and my stimulus check are in the mail. On the plus side, I can deposit checks remotely using my bank's mobile app.

 

 

 

From the Q & A:

I requested a direct deposit of my payment. Why are you mailing it to me? (updated May 15, 2020)
 
There are several reasons why your payment may have been sent by mail, including:

If the payment was already in process before the bank information was entered, or
If the bank rejects the deposit because the bank information is invalid or the bank account has been closed.

 

 

[jeffandgop]

My "Corona Virus" stimulus payment was directly deposited to my bank account without a fault. This is the same bank account I have designated for direct deposit the last 10 years without a problem.

 

My bank reported no attempt by the IRS to deposit the tax refund. There were no errors in the direct deposit instructions on my return.

 

The information that the refund was mailed came directly from the IRS webpage "Where's My Refund".

[watthong]

Thank you to ubonjoe and jeffandgop for your input re change of address. Which points to the pace at which SSA Manila operates under normal circumstance, now compounded or rather protracted by the event of covid. My guess is that at this point any change of address that gets to be input by Manila office by the time it is done that would have to be way after the dead or alive letter has reached us sometime in June.

[MyTHaiMyKe]

On 5/29/2020 at 5:17 AM, jeffandgop said:

I have sent 3 emails to the Manila SSA office since 10 May to report a change of address and no one has acknowledged or responded.

That is because they are either lazy or worthless! They say they will respond in 10 days, more like 10 years! Once I told them I was going to file a complaint and got a reply right away!