SSA Form 7162 Time Again

[jerryonjay]

On 8/7/2023 at 6:45 AM, jeffandgop said:

I received my 7162 from the SSA on 20June. I returned it via Registered airmail 23June. This is the last tracking info I ever received:

 

May wife received her 7162 from the SSA on 3 July. She returned it via Registered airmail 5 July. This is the last tracking info she ever received:

Her mailing got what we paid for; don't know if mine ever made it......

 

Same here 

[rabas]

Same. 

 

Mine left Lehigh Valley PA Distribution Center July 25, 2023 and is still in transit (like others). Below is from 17track today, which curiously says it's expired.  USPS shows nothing unusual.

 

Note the red text. I will visit Laksi Mail Center tomorrow and revert.

 

[Alotoftravel]

Appreciate a post in this forum indicating if you receive 7162 form from SSA (September 2nd mailing ).

I am looking out for this form . Bad experience with June 2nd 1st mailing ( received it 2 months later on July 27th) probably will get the 2nd mailing .just waiting …

 

[rabas]

I went and spoke to Thaipost's Laksi branch manager about my form, which is still in transit after 87 days. See my post above.

He did find it in their system and said it's being held by the USPS. He added that if it weren't officially on hold, it would have been returned to Thailand some time ago as it had exceeded its delivery window. He didn't know why it was on hold but agreed it was likely by arrangement with SSA.
 

Still no warm feeling. One must still assume SSA will not consider it late if held at USPS, but, probably OK. 

[Alotoftravel]

Rabas,

so you are probably in my situation , waiting for the 2nd mailing sept 7162 form .

will keep posted when I receive 7162 form 

 

[Pib]

On 9/22/2023 at 4:17 PM, rabas said:

I went and spoke to Thaipost's Laksi branch manager about my form, which is still in transit after 87 days. See my post above.

He did find it in their system and said it's being held by the USPS. He added that if it weren't officially on hold, it would have been returned to Thailand some time ago as it had exceeded its delivery window. He didn't know why it was on hold but agreed it was likely by arrangement with SSA.
 

Still no warm feeling. One must still assume SSA will not consider it late if held at USPS, but, probably OK. 

I expect the form arrived Wilkes Barre/SSA; it's just after it left the Lehigh Valley Distribution Center no more tracking scans occurred like arrival at Wilkes Barre and pickup by/delivery to SSA.  A very typical problem with USPS tracking of registered mail originating outside the U.S. 

 

Heck, it's not uncommon for registered mail originating within the U.S. and going to another U.S. location to experience tracking problems...like the mail goes MIA according to the USPS tracking but it actually got delivered. 

 

But sometime in Sep is when Wilkes Barre is suppose to generate/send the 2nd mailing to those folks who didn't reply in time to the 1st mailing in June of this year.   Time will tell....I haven't seen/heard anyone getting a 2nd mailing yet but since mailing time from the U.S. to Thailand via 1st class mail typically takes around 2 to 4 weeks if the 2nd mailing occurs in late Sep then it's too early to have received a 2nd mailing....but if the 2nd mailing occurred in early-mid Sep then such a 2nd mailing should be arriving Thailand mailboxes right about now or soon.

 

[LKPIII]

Same thing here. My annual form has been sitting for a ridiculous long time in Scranton PA which is only a 22 minute drive to Wilkes-Barre. So if I do not receive a second mailing do I assume that everything ok. Will SSA send me a warning or just cut off my benefits? 

[watthong]

On 9/27/2023 at 9:33 PM, Pib said:

Time will tell....I haven't seen/heard anyone getting a 2nd mailing yet but since mailing time from the U.S. to Thailand via 1st class mail typically takes around 2 to 4 weeks if the 2nd mailing occurs in late Sep then it's too early to have received a 2nd mailing....but if the 2nd mailing occurred in early-mid Sep then such a 2nd mailing should be arriving Thailand mailboxes right about now or soon

semi-anxiously expecting 2nd 7162 mailing that might/should be arriving anytime now, I finally went back to tracking my 1st. and here it is. surprised that it took only 3 weeks to get from swampy (sorry the capital shift no longer works on my keyboard, same goes for double quotes) into the finals (moving within USPS network ie somewhere between the moon and nyc.) Fyi this was registered mail.

[LKPIII]

On 9/21/2023 at 7:53 PM, rabas said:

Same. 

 

Mine left Lehigh Valley PA Distribution Center July 25, 2023 and is still in transit (like others). Below is from 17track today, which curiously says it's expired.  USPS shows nothing unusual.

 

Note the red text. I will visit Laksi Mail Center tomorrow and revert.

 

 

[LKPIII]

On 6/22/2023 at 11:40 AM, rabas said:

Received mine June 17 Saturday.

 

Considering last year's experience, I will fax back one copy, then post 2 copies via regular international mail spaced a week apart to avoid excessive mail registration charges.

 

[LKPIII]

Today is October 10^th 2023 and I have not received my second mailing of my annual report SSA 7161/7162. I sent off my 1^st form registered mail from Thailand on July 28^th 2023. It reached Scranton, PA Post Office and has been in Transit to Wilkes-Bare since August 25^th. Should I download this form and send it off or wait to see if I receive a second mailing or assume if I do not receive a second mailing that all is good?

Question 2 – There was a date of June 2^nd 2023 printed at the top of a page which accompanied my 1^st mailing. Is this the date in which SSA starts the 60-day count down?  On the instruction page for SSA 7161/7162, it is written to enclose the form 7161/7162 in the envelope provided within 60 days from the day you receive it. I didn’t receive my 1^st mailing until the middle of June. So, when does SSA start the 60 day count down? Is this arbitrary date on the form or the date when you actually receive the form?

Thank you for any assistance that you can give.

Lou Patterson

[Pib]

50 minutes ago, LKPIII said:

Today is October 10^th 2023 and I have not received my second mailing of my annual report SSA 7161/7162. I sent off my 1^st form registered mail from Thailand on July 28^th 2023. It reached Scranton, PA Post Office and has been in Transit to Wilkes-Bare since August 25^th. Should I download this form and send it off or wait to see if I receive a second mailing or assume if I do not receive a second mailing that all is good?

Question 2 – There was a date of June 2^nd 2023 printed at the top of a page which accompanied my 1^st mailing. Is this the date in which SSA starts the 60-day count down?  On the instruction page for SSA 7161/7162, it is written to enclose the form 7161/7162 in the envelope provided within 60 days from the day you receive it. I didn’t receive my 1^st mailing until the middle of June. So, when does SSA start the 60 day count down? Is this arbitrary date on the form or the date when you actually receive the form?

Thank you for any assistance that you can give.

Lou Patterson

Answer 1: assume it arrived Wilkes Barre SSA.  The Scranton Postal Distribution Center (PDC) is only 20 miles from Wilkes Barre and probably arrived Wilkes Barre a few days after it reached Scranton.  However, since it is all too typical for foreign registered mail not be be scanned throughout its trek to destination (i.e., a failure of USPS) the registered mail often appears to go MIA....and may never show actually being delivered but you are able to confirm via other means it did indeed get delivered.  I would not resend another copy....wait to see if you get the 2nd notice and if getting one complete that notice.   The 2nd notice is suppose to be mail in Sep (the SSA reg does not say when in Sep....just Sep but I would guess it would be early Sep.

 

Answer 2:  Yes, the 7162 instructions says return within 60 days or receipt and I'm sure SSA knows it probably takes around 2-4 weeks for it to arrive the foreign address.  Per SSA regulation the 1st mailing occurs late May/early Jun....this year's 1st mailing was on 2 Jun.  So, even if the person gets the form in late Jun/early Jul and mails it back next day it should arrive Wilkes Barre in about 3 weeks which equates to around the first week of Aug it arrived....2 to 3 weeks before the 2nd mailing sometime in Sep.  Should give the SSA enough time to scan/process the form before creating the 2nd mailing list.    I would say if none of us get a 2nd mailing by around mid Oct (almost here) this means your response to the 1st mailing probably arrived in time.  I haven't noticed anyone posting anywhere they just got a 2nd mailing although I'm not scanning the internet to see if anyone in Thailand has reported receipt of a 2nd mailing for 2023.

 

[LKPIII]

5 hours ago, Pib said:

Answer 1: assume it arrived Wilkes Barre SSA.  The Scranton Postal Distribution Center (PDC) is only 20 miles from Wilkes Barre and probably arrived Wilkes Barre a few days after it reached Scranton.  However, since it is all too typical for foreign registered mail not be be scanned throughout its trek to destination (i.e., a failure of USPS) the registered mail often appears to go MIA....and may never show actually being delivered but you are able to confirm via other means it did indeed get delivered.  I would not resend another copy....wait to see if you get the 2nd notice and if getting one complete that notice.   The 2nd notice is suppose to be mail in Sep (the SSA reg does not say when in Sep....just Sep but I would guess it would be early Sep.

 

Answer 2:  Yes, the 7162 instructions says return within 60 days or receipt and I'm sure SSA knows it probably takes around 2-4 weeks for it to arrive the foreign address.  Per SSA regulation the 1st mailing occurs late May/early Jun....this year's 1st mailing was on 2 Jun.  So, even if the person gets the form in late Jun/early Jul and mails it back next day it should arrive Wilkes Barre in about 3 weeks which equates to around the first week of Aug it arrived....2 to 3 weeks before the 2nd mailing sometime in Sep.  Should give the SSA enough time to scan/process the form before creating the 2nd mailing list.    I would say if none of us get a 2nd mailing by around mid Oct (almost here) this means your response to the 1st mailing probably arrived in time.  I haven't noticed anyone posting anywhere they just got a 2nd mailing although I'm not scanning the internet to see if anyone in Thailand has reported receipt of a 2nd mailing for 2023.

 

Thank you so much. Very helpful. My mailing arrived in Scranton PA Aug 21st, 2023 and then has been In Transit to next Facility / Moving through Network since Aug 25th 2023.

[Pib]

1 minute ago, LKPIII said:

Thank you so much. Very helpful. My mailing arrived in Scranton PA Aug 21st, 2023 and then has been In Transit to next Facility / Moving through Network since Aug 25th 2023.

And it will probably show this MIA status until it gets so old it's no longer reflected on tracking systems....but in all likelihood it did get delivered to SSA. As mentioned before tracking scans probably just didn't occur after leaving Scranton and arriving at Wilkes Barre SSA....a USPS failure to do the scans. 

[LKPIII]

12 hours ago, Pib said:

And it will probably show this MIA status until it gets so old it's no longer reflected on tracking systems....but in all likelihood it did get delivered to SSA. As mentioned before tracking scans probably just didn't occur after leaving Scranton and arriving at Wilkes Barre SSA....a USPS failure to do the scans. 

This is my second year of mailing this form. Last year was similar. Mailed my form back registered mail only to have it sit in Transit forever. I contacted FBU (SSA) in Manila and they sent me a second form. I think FBU Manila emailed me a form which I sent back regular mail. I have no idea if the form made it other than I have continued to receive my monthly benefit payments.  I have my Social Security account which I can access on the SSA website. Question 1: Do you know if SSA would send me a warning to my Social Security account if they were going to cut my benefit payment? On a side note, this morning I found my tracking number from last year and entered it into the USPS tracking system. Very surprised to see that last year’s mailing is still showing as in Transit from Scranton, PA since Aug 19, 2022. That’s over 365 days in transit. What’s up with that?  I was taught never to assume. So, this whole process has me debating if I should scream, cry, or laugh.  Thank you for the time.

[Pib]

6 hours ago, LKPIII said:

 Question 1: Do you know if SSA would send me a warning to my Social Security account if they were going to cut my benefit payment? 

What should appear in your online acct is you will see your "next month/not paid yet" payment (that's not the exact wording but you know what I mean) showing as zero, suspended, etc.   That would be the upcoming early Feb payment (which is really the payment earned for Jan but being paid in Feb) since the suspension would go in affect sometime in Jan which is after your early Jan payday.

 

Now whether you might also get a formal notice showing-up in your online acct correspondence box I couldn't say as it depends on the nature of the correspondence as to whether it will show-up there also and/or just be snail mailed to you.  But you will get a written notice in snail mail that will probably take around 3 to 4 weeks to arrive.  That notice would be generated in Jan notifying you of the suspended payment effect for the Feb payday and onwards. 

 

 Yea, you will be able to tell from looking at your online acct....but it will be sometime after the Jan payday before it becomes noticeable.  After the Jan payday is completed that when the SSA would take action to block further payments and notify the pensioner.   Some people refer to that as the 3rd notice since SSA didn't get a reply to the 1st (May/Jun) or 2nd (Sep/Oct) 7162 mailing.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Pib

[Pib]

At the bottom is what the Manila FBU SSA office says on their website.   You can also download a blank copy of a 7162 for completion and mailing to Wilkes Barre if you never got the barcoded 7162 mailed to you and Wilkes Barre never received it back from you.  And of course you would need to talk with/send an enquiry to Manila for regarding the problem.   Usually what happens is after you contact your local SSA office (which is Manila for us folks in this part of the world) they would initiate action to unsuspend your payment and have you mail a 7162 to Wilkes Barre and/or Manila.  It usually takes a few weeks for suspended payments to be unsuspended and resent.  Yes, you can find some horror stories on social media sites where it took a l.....o.....n......g time to get the payments unsuspended but typically those stories leave out some critical details as to why the benefits were "really" suspended.  Also easy to find on social media sites where people got benefits suspended for non-receipt of 7162, but after contacting their local/servicing SSA office they were unsuspended promptly and withheld payments arrived within a few weeks....even before the next regularly scheduled payment.

 

Up until several years ago it use to be not-so-hard to contact Manila via phone any work day of the work week or via email.  But now their phone hours are limited to Tue and Thu from 8am to 11am (and good luck in getting a human to answer).....and an email direct to Manila SSA may never be answered as they want you to use their online Inquiry Form which is easy enough which effectively completes/sends an email to Manila and then they respond by email....typically "weeks" later.   The Manila SSA Office is a lot slower and harder to contact now than a few years ago....I don't know why....maybe undermanned, etc.   

 

https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/social-security/

 

https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/social-security/faq/

 

[LKPIII]

Has anybody who is expecting a 2nd mailing of the SSA Annual 7161 form received their yet? I am assuming, since that is all I can do at this point, that the second mailing, like the first mailing, is mailed early in the month of September let's say September 5th. It take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive so that puts arrival date in Thailand around September 5th. My first mailing is stuck in the mail so I am assuming that I will get a second mailing. However, I have not. Has anybody received their second mailing. Are there any insights to this process of annual mailing. Do people go through this every year? 

[Pib]

1 hour ago, LKPIII said:

 Do people go through this every year? 

Yes....folks with their Thailand address on-file go thru this every year.   Thailand is one of the countries on an annual schedule.    There is also a list of countries that are on a biennial schedule.  But as mentioned Thailand is one of the many countries on the annual list.

 

Now I know you were only talking about the 7162 for yourself but if say you had a spouse also drawing SS benefits who also has a a Thailand address on-file with SSA "and" earned those benefits solely on your SS earning record (i.e., receiving what is called a spousal pension) then that spouse would only receive a 7162 every two years.   Both the Thailand address and spousal pension criteria must be met; not just one or the other).   

 

My wife receive a spousal pension since she didn't quite work 10 years while in the U.S.; so her social security benefit is based on my earnings record....she only get a 7162 every two years while I get mine annually.

 

[LKPIII]

So there is a 60 day requirement to return the 1st annual mailing and a 45 day to return the second mailing. When does the 60 and 45 day requirement begin. Is it when a person actually receives it or some arbitrarily date printed on a piece of paper that is included with the annual form? This year for me the 1st mailing was June 2, 2023.  I should of received my 2nd mailing if it a 3 to 4 week mailing period and I assume SSA mails it off early in September as they do in June. So I am going to see if  FBU in Manila can help me. Of course that's if I can get a hold of them or I will print a form and put it in an envelope, say some prayers, and send it off. 

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Yes....folks with their Thailand address on-file go thru this every year.   Thailand is one of the countries on an annual schedule.    There is also a list of countries that are on a biennial schedule.  But as mentioned Thailand is one of the many countries on the annual list.

 

Now I know you were only talking about the 7162 for yourself but if say you had a spouse also drawing SS benefits who also has a a Thailand address on-file with SSA "and" earned those benefits solely on your SS earning record (i.e., receiving what is called a spousal pension) then that spouse would only receive a 7162 every two years.   Both the Thailand address and spousal pension criteria must be met; not just one or the other).   

 

My wife receive a spousal pension since she didn't quite work 10 years while in the U.S.; so her social security benefit is based on my earnings record....she only get a 7162 every two years while I get mine annually.

 

So there is a 60 day requirement to return the 1st annual mailing and a 45 day to return the second mailing. When does the 60 and 45 day requirement begin. Is it when a person actually receives it or some arbitrary date printed on a piece of paper that is included with the annual form? This year for me the 1st mailing was June 2, 2023.  I should of received my 2nd mailing if it is a 3 to 4 week mailing period that's  assuming SSA mails it off early in September. So I am going to see if  FBU in Manila can help me. Of course that's if I can get a hold of them or I will print a form and put it in an envelope, say some prayers, and send it off. Thanks for all the information. I greatly appreciate it. 

[Pib]

No need to do anything now.  If you don't get a 2nd mailing chances are very high you are good to go.  If you do get a 2nd mailing be sure to mail it back ASAP by "regular airmail" not registered airmail as regular airmail will arrive Wilkes Barre significantly faster than registered mail.  Yes there is no tracking on regular airmail but as you've found out registered airmail is not providing tracking all the way to Wilkes Barre/not confirming delivery.

 

Don't worry about it until mid Jan when you would be able to see any suspension of payments in your online SSA acct.  If seeing a suspension then contact SSA.

 

 

[Alotoftravel]

Would it be beneficial to change from thai address to USA address to avoid annual 7162 form annually. Is it a lot of paper work once again as I understand it cannot be changed online?

 

I applied using my Thai address . I did not know about 7162 when I applied .
My ss is currently deposited to my usa bank account .

i am able to use a USA address ( family ) .

[LKPIII]

9 hours ago, Pib said:

No need to do anything now.  If you don't get a 2nd mailing chances are very high you are good to go.  If you do get a 2nd mailing be sure to mail it back ASAP by "regular airmail" not registered airmail as regular airmail will arrive Wilkes Barre significantly faster than registered mail.  Yes there is no tracking on regular airmail but as you've found out registered airmail is not providing tracking all the way to Wilkes Barre/not confirming delivery.

 

Don't worry about it until mid Jan when you would be able to see any suspension of payments in your online SSA acct.  If seeing a suspension then contact SSA.

 

 

Regular airmail, got it. Thank you, very much, very helpful and reassuring. There's has to be a better way of doing this. Thanks again. 

[pmarlin]

My 7162 came in the mail today. Looks like the first one.

[Pib]

17 minutes ago, pmarlin said:

My 7162 came in the mail today. Looks like the first one.

What date is in the upper right hand corner?  If 2 Jun it's the 1st one.  If much later like around Sep/Oct it's your 2nd notice and also should say you have 45 days vs 60 days to respond for the 1st one.

[pmarlin]

On 10/22/2023 at 10:52 AM, Pib said:

What date is in the upper right hand corner?  If 2 Jun it's the 1st one.  If much later like around Sep/Oct it's your 2nd notice and also should say you have 45 days vs 60 days to respond for the 1st one.

You're right this is the 2nd notice dared 16Oct. Never got the first one but I did download one and mailed it in the end of Jun. Tracking shows out for delivery middle of July. Either it was never delivered or wasn't good enough for them. This time it's going EMS.

[Pib]

11 minutes ago, pmarlin said:

You're right this is the 2nd notice dared 16Oct. 

Was the 16 Oct date actually "on the 7162 form" OR at you referring to a date mailed on the envelope? 

 

Either way for mail to arrive from US to Thailand in only 6 days sounds way, way too fast since you said earlier you received the form 22 Oct.

 

What part of Thailand are you in?

Edited October 23, 2023 by Pib

[pmarlin]

2 minutes ago, Pib said:

Was the 16 Oct date actually :on the 7162 form" OR at you referring to a date mailed on the envelope? 

 

Either way for mail to arrive from US to Thailand in only 6 days sounds way, way too fast since you said earlier you received the form 22 Oct.

 

What part of Thailand are you in?

The date was on top of the form. Live in Nong Chang, Utha Thani. Central Thailand 250K north of Bangkok.

[pmarlin]

3 minutes ago, pmarlin said:

The date was on top of the form. Live in Nong Chang, Utha Thani. Central Thailand 250K north of Bangkok.

From the form SECOND REQUEST OCT. 17 , 2023

[Pib]

1 minute ago, pmarlin said:

The date was on top of the form. Live in Nong Chang, Utha Thani. Central Thailand 250K north of Bangkok.

Wow....unbelievably fast.  Was there any visible mailing date on the envelope....possibly in small print?

 

Maybe the  SSA actually generated/printed the form with a different later date than the actual printing date to compensate for mailing time.  Yea...6 days from US to Thailand is like expensive FedEx/DHL priority mail time.