USA Social Security - Filed how long to approve and receive monthly payments

[DJ54]

USA Social Security Manila initial contact April 2021. Received email in a few days with date and time for

phone interview to submit filing which was June 14th 2021.

 

i was told filing would be sent to Baltimore for final approval which could take up to 6 months. Anyone filed 

recently and how long before approval and payments start?

 

US citizens planning to retire consider it may take 9 months ? To file early... I thought I read plan on submitting 

90 days before date you plan on retiring.... I could say a friend said buy ain’t got no friends.. joking

 

if anyone has recent experience it would be appreciated. Interviewer said I’ve 50+ years ... true

 

Thanks everyone... enjoy everyday....

[cmarshall]

I filed four months before the date I chose to start receiving my SS benefits in 2019.  I received an email acknowledgement which explained that I could check the status of my application online at my ssa.gov account.   I did that and it always showed "pending" or some such.  I did have a brief phone conversation with the SS Manila office.  Basically nothing happened until the first payment arrived exactly on time.  Seems to be typical.  The SSA knows how to deliver on time.

Edited June 14, 2021 by cmarshall

[Yellowtail]

Your benefits start when you apply to have them start, so your payment will be retroactive.

 

My first deposit was for several months, and it took another month or two to get my son's first deposit, but they both started at the same time, his first payment was for (I think) five months.

 

 

[Berkshire]

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Your benefits start when you apply to have them start, so your payment will be retroactive.

 

My first deposit was for several months, and it took another month or two to get my son's first deposit, but they both started at the same time, his first payment was for (I think) five months.

 

 

So you receive benefits for both yourself and your son.  May I ask how much you receive for your son?  I may be in the same boat soon.

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

So you receive benefits for both yourself and your son.  May I ask how much you receive for your son?  I may be in the same boat soon.

 

$1.426/mo

[EVENKEEL]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

 

$1.426/mo

Mine is $1243.  You must have a higher $$ for yourself than I. Did you collect at age 62?

[Yellowtail]

6 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Mine is $1243.  You must have a higher $$ for yourself than I. Did you collect at age 62?

 

Yeah, 62. I think it's foolish for most anyone not still working to wait, whether they "need" the money or not. 

 

Things will not get better for people in the US that save/saved their money....

[DJ54]

Thanks for your replies... hopefully the wheel churns a little 

faster... The Manila phone interview was basic questions regarding prior employment ... marriages if longer than 10

years... 

[Yellowtail]

12 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

Thanks for your replies... hopefully the wheel churns a little 

faster... The Manila phone interview was basic questions regarding prior employment ... marriages if longer than 10

years... 

 

Assuming one's claim is legitimate, I think the interview is pretty much a formality.

 

I'm guessing everything takes so long because they have ten-times the number of people they need doing the work and they all have to pretend they're busy...

[tonray]

I was able to file everything online...if i remember it didn't take more than a week before approval of claim

[Pib]

That Manila 6 months estimate was for applications which have problems/issues....like various docs asked for and the applicant is slow to provide.   

 

Assuming no issues/problems with your application it should be approved...done and dusted within 60 days of being sent to Baltimore as Baltimore has 60 days to initially act on applications forwarded to them from local/regional offices like Manila.

[DJ54]

Update on payment.

 

- sent request to apply to PHILIPPINES @ mid April

- Given phone interview date Mid June

- Was told payment would be about 6 months (not)

- Received payment retro to April when I contacted PHILIPPINES. Payment received July 1. ... 

 

Happy about that...

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, DJ54 said:

Update on payment.

 

- sent request to apply to PHILIPPINES @ mid April

- Given phone interview date Mid June

- Was told payment would be about 6 months (not)

- Received payment retro to April when I contacted PHILIPPINES. Payment received July 1. ... 

 

Happy about that...

 

Good deal!

[gamb00ler]

I started my application in the Las Vegas office in April '21.  The agent was very difficult to reach and my Google Voice # was unreliable for in bound calls.  Without notice or explanation the Las Vegas agent terminated my application. 

 

I restarted my application through Federal Benefits Unit in Manila in June '21.  I got the scheduled phone call in about 2 weeks.  I then sent in the originals of the documents they requested.  They sent those back in about 10 days.  They forwarded my application to Baltimore in mid July '21.  In early August Baltimore sent me a letter saying I needed to send them the same original documents before Sep. 1.  Hoping that letter was in error I called the SSA's 800 # using Google Voice line.  It required a 30-40 minute wait on hold before I talked to an agent.  Thankfully my application was in order and I didn't need to send the originals AGAIN.

 

Just today (Oct.1) I received a letter from FBU Manila requesting the documents AGAIN.  I read the letter again carefully and noticed the letter was dated Aug. 1.  The letter took 2 months from Philippines to CM.  To allay my anxiety I spent another 30-40 minutes on hold to SSA to verify my application is still in order.

 

My application is more complicated than most, but I think the delay is unacceptable.

 

There is a special phone number for International SSA applications but it is only available 9AM - 4PM EST and there is no wait on hold  option.  I re-dialed that # 20 times and never could reach a human.

[Yellowtail]

9 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

My application is more complicated than most, but I think the delay is unacceptable.

This is hilarious. 

 

If you want to feel better about the SSA, try contacting the IRS....

 

Fortunately, once your application is approved, you should get a lump payment dating back to the date of your application. 

[gamb00ler]

14 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

My application is more complicated than most, but I think the delay is unacceptable.

 

5 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

This is hilarious. 

 

If you want to feel better about the SSA, try contacting the IRS....

 

Fortunately, once your application is approved, you should get a lump payment dating back to the date of your application. 

LOL.... I've hit a double jackpot, I guess.  My dealings with the IRS have been interesting  several times since I became a professional gambler (now retired).  It seems that the lower lever IRS employees don't understand the crucial differences between W-2G's and regular W-2's.  A quick simplification is that W-2's represent actual income but W-2G's only identify payments much like a 1099.  I'm sure I know more about the tax laws pertaining to gambling income/deductions than almost any IRS employees.  That's mostly because it's a very small niche involving a small number of taxpayers.  Often I have had to print out some of the legal decisions the IRS has previously made and send it together with my rejection of their arguments.

 

Eventually, the IRS recognized their error and folded their hand every time.

Edited October 2, 2021 by gamb00ler