American initiating Social Security payments from Thailand. (Help)

[Bearhawk07]

Can anyone advise me on how to initiate my SS payments from America?  Is there are service that I can hire to do this for me?  Thank you in advance.  Bear

[bunnydrops]

Are you trying to start SS or just getting the money to here. I have mine put in my US bank and use Transferwise to transfer to here when I need it. SS will send to Bangkok Bank, but you have to set that up with SS and the bank I think.

[Kwaibill]

4 hours ago, Bearhawk07 said:

Can anyone advise me on how to initiate my SS payments from America?  Is there are service that I can hire to do this for me?  Thank you in advance.  Bear

You should contact the SS FBU department at the US embassy in the Phillipines.

They have been most helpful and responsive. They helped me arrange for direct deposit to my Thai bank.

https://ph.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/social-security/

[hereforgood]

Do you still have a US address or one that you can use family maybe ? If so you do not have to deal with Manila SS or even talk to anyone. It is better as well as SS sends out a are you still alive letter that has to be filled in and returned if you are using a address out of the US.

 

Took me no more than 15 mins to apply on their site on line and the deposits started as they should 

 

[Bearhawk07]

11 hours ago, bunnydrops said:

Are you trying to start SS or just getting the money to here. I have mine put in my US bank and use Transferwise to transfer to here when I need it. SS will send to Bangkok Bank, but you have to set that up with SS and the bank I think.

 

[Bearhawk07]

I am 62 and I want them to start sending me my payments.  

[Bearhawk07]

6 hours ago, hereforgood said:

Do you still have a US address or one that you can use family maybe ? If so you do not have to deal with Manila SS or even talk to anyone. It is better as well as SS sends out a are you still alive letter that has to be filled in and returned if you are using a address out of the US.

 

Took me no more than 15 mins to apply on their site on line and the deposits started as they should 

 

 

[Bearhawk07]

Their internet does not work from Thailand.  Maybe it is just a problem with my computer?  That is a good idea to use an address in America.  Did you access them via the internet when you applied?  Did you  have to send photos of your documents?

[Jeffrey346]

9 hours ago, Bearhawk07 said:

I am 62 and I want them to start sending me my payments.  

Go online to ssa.gov  you can apply there

[fredge45]

10 hours ago, Bearhawk07 said:

Their internet does not work from Thailand.  Maybe it is just a problem with my computer?  That is a good idea to use an address in America.  Did you access them via the internet when you applied?  Did you  have to send photos of your documents?

Try using a VPN set to 'merica.

 

[1FinickyOne]

Just call your local office on the phone... had mine set up in minutes... no problems

[tonray]

10 hours ago, Bearhawk07 said:

Their internet does not work from Thailand.  Maybe it is just a problem with my computer?  That is a good idea to use an address in America.  Did you access them via the internet when you applied?  Did you  have to send photos of your documents?

I applied this year...all online...never needed to speak to anyone...internet works from Thailand. I send to American bank acct (brokerage) and then transfer here as needed. Easiest way

[ClaySmc]

I think you have to do it during business hours based on USA time, so not on weekends and ideally between the Eastern and Pacific time zones in US time.

[ChouDoufu]

17 minutes ago, tonray said:

I applied this year...all online...never needed to speak to anyone...internet works from Thailand. I send to American bank acct (brokerage) and then transfer here as needed. Easiest way

 

i was reading up on this process last week.  the article stated there were a bunch of original documents that must be mailed in (will be returned later) to apply.  is that now out of date?

[tonray]

4 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

 

i was reading up on this process last week.  the article stated there were a bunch of original documents that must be mailed in (will be returned later) to apply.  is that now out of date?

I did not need to mail anything in. I think only in some cases where your status must be challenged. Do you have an account to check your status and estimated benefit ? If not that is the first thing you should do.

[5633572526]

11 hours ago, Bearhawk07 said:

Their internet does not work from Thailand.  Maybe it is just a problem with my computer?  That is a good idea to use an address in America.  Did you access them via the internet when you applied?  Did you  have to send photos of your documents?

I applied on the social security website from Bangkok and had no problems. Payments started on time to my USA bank and transfer here as needed. 

[statman78]

I applied earlier this year from Thailand.  I applied on-line and did not have to send any documents.  I did get 1 phone call from the Social Security office in Manilla since I used my Thai address and did have some income earlier this year.  I have my payments deposited to my account in the US and transfer money when I need it.  It took several months before I received my first payment.  I applied in March and got approved in May.  During that time the Manilla office did not answer an e-mail I sent them and no longer took phone calls because they are short staffed due to COVID.

[ChouDoufu]

9 hours ago, tonray said:

I did not need to mail anything in. I think only in some cases where your status must be challenged. Do you have an account to check your status and estimated benefit ? If not that is the first thing you should do.

 

yes, i have an online ssn account where i can download annual benefit reports.

still have several years before i can apply, just want to be sure i have all the documents i need in case i must get something from the us notarized.

no taxable earned income since nought-five, so no waiting for most recent contributions to be calculated in.

 

 

i was going off this, linked from fidelity...pile of original or certified documents....

https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/social-security/articles/documents-to-collect-before-you-apply-for-social-security

[tonray]

13 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

 

yes, i have an online ssn account where i can download annual benefit reports.

still have several years before i can apply, just want to be sure i have all the documents i need in case i must get something from the us notarized.

no taxable earned income since nought-five, so no waiting for most recent contributions to be calculated in.

 

 

i was going off this, linked from fidelity...pile of original or certified documents....

https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/social-security/articles/documents-to-collect-before-you-apply-for-social-security

If you are a citizen, born in USA, with regular payroll ssi deductions, I doubt you will need any extra docs. That's usually for special cases, IE disability, dependent, not born in USA, naturalized citizen, et etc. Don't worry

[hereforgood]

On 11/29/2020 at 9:09 PM, Bearhawk07 said:

Their internet does not work from Thailand.  Maybe it is just a problem with my computer?  That is a good idea to use an address in America.  Did you access them via the internet when you applied?  Did you  have to send photos of your documents?

I access their site from Thailand True internet. They needed o documents they asked me 2 or 3 questions that I would have the answer to to confirm it was me. I could not believe just how easy it was

[Pib]

15 hours ago, tonray said:

If you are a citizen, born in USA, with regular payroll ssi deductions, I doubt you will need any extra docs. That's usually for special cases, IE disability, dependent, not born in USA, naturalized citizen, et etc. Don't worry

This sums it up well.  For a US born person with no errors on their SS record it's highly unlikely any docs will be asked for.   That was my case when applying...and I applied thru Manila.   

 

Now my wife who is a naturalized US citizen (i.e, dual US-Thai citizen), she had to provide a certified copy of her US passport or Naturalization Certificate which the US Embassy-Bangkok or Chiang Mai will notarize/provide for free since it's an application for a federal benefits.   And the Manila office asked that I provide a simple SSA form confirming I was married to my wife...we have only been married for over four decades, but the SSA still wanted that form.  All requested docs email/mailed to Manila....all accepted....Manila happy.....wife's spousal pension approved.

 

And I also hand walked a neighbor thru the application process who was also a naturalized US citizen (i.e., dual US-Thai citizen).  She also had to provide a certified copy of her US passport or Naturalization Certificate which the US Embassy-Bangkok certified/notarized for free....then she emailed/mailed those copies to Manila.  All accepted....Manila happy....pension approved.

 

Then you can also read stories of where it took "a while" for an applicant to get things sorted out with the SSA...usually this is people who have a "foreign pension" where the SSA may do a pension offset and require some extra paperwork.   Or a person's name does not exactly match SSA records.   Or a person's birthdate does not match.   Or a person is applying for benefits based on another person's earning record like maybe a divorced spouse.   

 

Each person has led a different life and can run into different issues when apply for SS benefits which results in "many" different stories as to how hard or how easy it was to apply.   For the great majority of folks, it's an easy process.   Either apply online or through your local SSA office (for us folks in Thailand your local office is the Manila SSA office).