US SSA Form 7161/7162

[walt1]

I did not receive anything so far and taking the advice from the other thread on this subject and contacted the Manila office, this is what they said.

Thank you for contacting the Social Security Administration's Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

 

***********

 

Please note that not all beneficiaries will receive the reporting form SSA-7162 / SSA-7161 this year. If a beneficiary is not selected to receive the form this year, the beneficiary will receive the form next year. If you have not received the form yet, you will likely receive it next year. Please also note that the form mailed out is barcoded specifically for each beneficiary and, as such, is not available online.

 I have read thru the 2020 thread and didn't see anything like this discussed. The others talked about reporting thru Manila after November. I started SS payments 2 years ago and with Covid no forms were sent out so have never reported. I was under the impression that Thailand was every year report, maybe something changed? Do I just wait until January and hope that the payment arrives?  Thanks

[ubonjoe]

Are you using your address here in Thailand for the SSA? If not that is why you have not gotten one.

I have received one in July.

[walt1]

I use my Thai address for everything government related and have received other mailings not related to the 7761 in the past. If it comes to the worst and it is canceled hopefully the contact with Manila could prove I tried. Thanks for the input.  

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, walt1 said:

I use my Thai address for everything government related and have received other mailings not related to the 7761 in the past. If it comes to the worst and it is canceled hopefully the contact with Manila could prove I tried. Thanks for the input.  

If one was sent and not delivered you may get a 2nt notice this month.

When they mailed them in the May before the 2nd notices were sent in late September or early October.

[walt1]

I will wait a few weeks to see if it shows up and maybe contact the stateside office. I guess I will find out for sure come January. 

[TwentyBaht]

I also did not receive the 7762 questionaire this year.  And, emailed the Manila SSA Office three days ago and yesterday received the same email response as walt1.  I use my Thai address with SSA.  And, except for the Covid pause have always received the 7762 questionaire in June of each year since starting benefits thirteen years ago.

 

So, I'll wait and see if my benefits continue next year before contacting Manila SSA again.    

[ubonjoe]

23 minutes ago, TwentyBaht said:

So, I'll wait and see if my benefits continue next year before contacting Manila SSA again.  

 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

If one was sent and not delivered you may get a 2nt notice this month.

When they mailed them in the May before the 2nd notices were sent in late September or early October.

 

[walt1]

Nice to know I'm not the only one Twenty Baht. It could be Thailand is now every other year report.

[racyrick]

4 hours ago, TwentyBaht said:

I also did not receive the 7762 questionaire this year.  And, emailed the Manila SSA Office three days ago and yesterday received the same email response as walt1.  I use my Thai address with SSA.  And, except for the Covid pause have always received the 7762 questionaire in June of each year since starting benefits thirteen years ago.

 

So, I'll wait and see if my benefits continue next year before contacting Manila SSA again.    

Same as you. Did not receive this year after always receiving them in previous years.

 

Horrible way to have to deal with this issue. No clarity from SSA stateside or Manila and have to wait to see if your benefits are suspended to see if you were the chosen one not to receive this year.

[taxout]

A reminder too that you have to keep your address correct and current with SSA. If mail gets returned as undeliverable they'll quickly stop your direct deposits without notice, even though they've got your email because you've registered on the portal.

[racyrick]

Well, it's now November 14th and not a single report that anyone has received a second form 7161 or 7162.

 

Very weird. I wonder if SSA has changed their procedure for this year. Of course, no updated info from SSA.

[jeffandgop]

On 11/14/2022 at 12:56 PM, racyrick said:

Well, it's now November 14th and not a single report that anyone has received a second form 7161 or 7162.

 

Very weird. I wonder if SSA has changed their procedure for this year. Of course, no updated info from SSA.

Well I received a 2nd Request dated Oct 27.  What really frosts me is I received the 1st Request dated June 27 and as I was traveling to the U.S. in late August I took the completed form and mailed it back to the SSA from a U.S. Post Office in California the beginning of September!!!!

[TwentyBaht]

Following up on my previous post, and as ubonjoe suggested might happen, yesterday I received a 7162 questionairre.  Top of the form stated "Second Request Oct. 27,2022".

[racyrick]

I too just got my second request after not receiving the first one.

[walt1]

I'm still waiting nothing as of yet. It seems Manila might not know what they are talking about as they told twentybaht the same as me and then he gets his form. It doesn't fill me with hope that Manila is right about getting one next year.

[ubonjoe]

I got the 2nd notice yesterday. For me it is deja vu from 2019 when I got one and had confirmed delivery of the first one. Got nowhere with phone calls, fax and a email  to Manila. Could do nothing so waited to see if I got the 3rd notice about it telling me my benefits end.

I have proof of delivery for this year as well.

About to the point of letting it go for now.

There are more posts about it in the topic on the main page of this forum This is the most recent post.

 

 

[Pib]

For those concerned that did not receive a 7162 back around July you might want to play it safe and just download & complete  a 7162 (download from SSA weblink at bottom) and then mail it via "regular airmail" (not registered airmail) from your local Thai post office....mailing will cost approx Bt49.  And it should arrive Wilkes Barre in approximately 2 to 3 weeks.  Heck mail it a second time a few days later for another Bt49 to play it safe.   Spend Bt49 to Bt98 to avoid possible suspension of benefits staring in Jan 2023 (i.e., no early Feb 2023 payment).

 

Social Security Administration
P.O. Box 7162
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18767-7162
U.S.A.

 

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms/images/SSA7/G-SSA-7162-OCR-SM-1.pdf

[walt1]

That is a good idea Pib and not too hard, but I read on the other thread that Ubonjoe mentioned above, that they need to have the barcode or won't work. Worth a shot though. I'll wait a bit and see if it shows up. 

[Pib]

6 minutes ago, walt1 said:

That is a good idea Pib and not too hard, but I read on the other thread that Ubonjoe mentioned above, that they need to have the barcode or won't work. Worth a shot though. I'll wait a bit and see if it shows up. 

Well, you can't send the bar-coded 7162 if you never received it.  All you can do is send a downloaded version. 

 

Plus if you never received a bar-coded copy and contact Manila for assistance Manila has you send them a downloaded version to them....Manila even emails you a copy (non bar-coded) to complete and return.

[walt1]

Manila is why I'm concerned. They more or less said don't worry you will get one next year.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I received the second request on Thursday. I sent the first 7162 to Wilkes Barre on July 19th by registered mail. Thai Post shows that it was received at Wilkes Barre on October 3rd. I guess it did not get entered into the system in time to prevent the second notice going out on the 27th.

 

I mailed the second 7162 by regular airmail yesterday.

 

Still no 7161 for my daughter. Perhaps she was not selected for one.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, walt1 said:

Manila is why I'm concerned. They more or less said don't worry you will get one next year.

I don't know what Manila told you or what you think Manila told you, but it was probably a regurgitation of the paragraph on the  SSA Office of International Operations which said:

https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/

Quote

 

Notice Regarding Forms SSA-7161 and SSA-7162

The postal service disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have resolved in the majority of countries. The Social Security Administration will resume mailing the forms SSA-7161 and SSA-7162 in late June 2022. Forms will be mailed according to the schedule that was in effect prior to the pandemic (i.e. if you were expecting a form in 2020, you will receive it in 2022; 2021 in 2023). Please complete and return the forms promptly to avoid suspension of benefits.

 

 

Now to me above paragraph means the SSA is back to using their standard schedule of sending out 7162s on either an annual or biennial basis (i.e., their pre-pandemic schedule) as determined by the foreign country you live in.  Some countries like Thailand are on an annual basis and some countries are on a biennial basis.  See below SSA regulation as to which schedule a country is on....as mentioned, Thailand is on an annual basis.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655005

 

 

[ubonjoe]

16 hours ago, Pib said:

Heck mail it a second time a few days later for another Bt49 to play it safe.   Spend Bt49 to Bt98 to avoid possible suspension of benefits staring in Jan 2023 (i.e., no early Feb 2023 payment).

That is out of date form. "Form SSA-7162-OCR-SM (7-2011) Destroy Prior Editions"

A latest forum is dated 2020 ""

The notice you get in the 2nd notice states if you have sent one recently then you could ignore the notice.

I assume having one received by the SSA would be the same.

[Pib]

13 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is out of date form. "Form SSA-7162-OCR-SM (7-2011) Destroy Prior Editions"

A latest forum is dated 2020 ""

 

I've never been able to find a site that provides the 2020 version; only the 2011 and earlier version.  Do you have a link?

 

Even on the main SSA forms download page (link below) doesn't provide any version of the 7162....that's probably their way of trying to get folks from just downloading and returning a 7162 when the person never receives the 7162 mailing.  Steers the person to contact SSA to figure out if the correct/complete address is on-file...try to figure out why the person is not receiving the form.  Now you can find a version of the 7162 form on other SSA pages; just not the main download page.

 

Main SSA Download Page

https://www.ssa.gov/forms/

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

35 minutes ago, Pib said:

I've never been able to find a site that provides the 2020 version; only the 2011 and earlier version.  Do you have a link?

The new form has a barcode on the right side of it that has your SSA number on it.

It is certainly different than the 2011 form.

In a earlier post the Manila office told a person the form could not be downloaded and used now for that reason.

[John Drake]

On 11/17/2022 at 9:39 AM, ubonjoe said:

I have proof of delivery for this year as well.

About to the point of letting it go for now.

There are more posts about it in the topic on the main page of this forum This is the most recent post.

In that original topic, one poster said he talked with an SS representative who was in the Wilkes-Barre building and the rep told him thousands of forms were sitting around waiting to be processed. If so, my and your (I sent my 7162 in the same time you did) forms may be sitting at the bottom of the pile. I haven't received a second notice. Yet. But I have a PO Box and I last checked it on Wednesday. I'll go to the Taling Chan post office and check tomorrow. If I have a second notice, I think I'll send it, hoping it gets put on the top of the pile. And I'll send it regular air mail. The last notice I had from the registered USPS mail site was that my mail had left Jamaica NY en route to the next facility on 24 July.

 

Truth is that Thai Post is better than the USPS. And the Thai government agency I deal with, Immigration, is better and more reliable than Social Security or the IRS. 

[Pib]

That bar code is created by Wilkes Barre.  I bet when for whatever reason the person doesn't receive the Wilkes Barre 7162 that Manila emails the person a 2011 edition for completion and return to Manila.

 

In 2019 when I received the Wilkes Barre generated  bar coded 7162 but the wife didn't, after the 2nd notice timeframe had passed which Manila said was 1 Nov for them that they would assist in 7162 completion and they did by emailing the wife a 2011 edition (no bar code) with instructions to complete/scan/email back which she did.

[ubonjoe]

37 minutes ago, John Drake said:

In that original topic, one poster said he talked with an SS representative who was in the Wilkes-Barre building and the rep told him thousands of forms were sitting around waiting to be processed. If so, my and your (I sent my 7162 in the same time you did) forms may be sitting at the bottom of the pile. I

I know mine was received on October 13th. That is what tracking has as the delivery date and it was signed for by JD on the Thai post tracking.

The 2nd 7162 is dated as October 27th.

The notice sent with form states this on it.

The 13th was within the last few days I would assume so I do not plan on sending a 2nd one to them.

Almost the same as 2019 when I got the 2nd notice. Did not sent it then and my SSA payments did not stop.

 

[walt1]

19 hours ago, Pib said:

I don't know what Manila told you or what you think Manila told you, but it was probably a regurgitation of the paragraph on the  SSA Office of International Operations which said:

https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/

 

Now to me above paragraph means the SSA is back to using their standard schedule of sending out 7162s on either an annual or biennial basis (i.e., their pre-pandemic schedule) as determined by the foreign country you live in.  Some countries like Thailand are on an annual basis and some countries are on a biennial basis.  See below SSA regulation as to which schedule a country is on....as mentioned, Thailand is on an annual basis.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655005

I posted Manila reply in the 1st post. If could be possible that Thailand is now biennial report?

Sure is a hell of a way to run a system when so many other options are possible.

[John Drake]

A suspension from receiving SS could play havoc with those on monthly proof of pension with Thai Immigration, instead of the 800K. I can't believe how cavalierly SS is with wrecking people's lives.