16 hours ago, racyrick said:

You received your COLA increase letter in the mail last month?

I'll need to check the PO Box tomorrow.

Just came in now. Thought with Jan1 being a holiday, then 2 and 3 being Saturday and Sunday here, it would remain in the US until Monday the 5th. Then transfer today like it just did.

15 hours ago, Pib said:

Ditto for my wife who gets her SSA via IDD to Bkk Bk. It will probably show-up on 6 Jan.

15 hours ago, Pib said:

For folks using IDD to a Thai bank the payment will post over the next day or two.....the holidays has just slowed things down.

Today/5 Jan was the first day back to work for "headquarters type bank folk....Bank of Thailand folk".....no doubt "non-ACH" incoming foreign payments are backlogged in the Thai banking system. Personally, I wouldn't waste any phone calls or visits to your Thai bank asking "where is my "IDD" SSA/mil retirement/VA payment" as you'll just get a "I don't know, maybe tomorrow, etc., type answer." Give it a few more days.

Yeap...wife's IDD SSA payment posted to her Bkk Bk acct a little before 10am/today/6Jan.

I just received mine 25 minutes ago. I was a little bit concerned, mostly due to their 7126 indiscretions.

My SSA payment showed up about 10 minutes ago. Rack the delay up to holidays and weekends. The longest I waited for a payment was on the 7th of a given month, but can't remember which month, but again, the delay could be attributed to both US and Thai holidays and weekends and bank holidays. I don't get antsy until after the 7th, and to be honest, I don't live month-to-month waiting for a payment.

FWIW, there is a preliminary Form SSA-1099SM-F for 2025 available on my SSA.

On 1/5/2026 at 10:12 AM, flexomike said:

has anyone not gotten their deposit for January, I got mine, through Bangkok Bank, wife has not received hers through Krungthai Bank

All is well, wives deposit has arrived

And I just check the PO Box and my 2026 COLA notification has arrived as well.

3 hours ago, flexomike said:

All is well, wives deposit has arrived

Yep, got mine at some point today too... didn't see when it came it, but it's here. thanks to the dreadful exchange rate, the COLA barely made an impact. 🤦

Got mine early today.

16 hours ago, Galong said:

Yep, got mine at some point today too... didn't see when it came it, but it's here. thanks to the dreadful exchange rate, the COLA barely made an impact. 🤦

Noticed that too. I got almost the same as the last few months.

I am a 62-year old American living who has been living and working in Thailand since 1989. Before moving here I had jobs in the US. I found out last year that I have 39 out of the minimum 40 required credits to qualify for social security benefits, based on my work in the US decades ago. I need to get just one more credit to qualify. I have a lot of experience teaching English and I would like to get the last credit by teaching online, but I need to find an employer who would be willing to pay me through the US social security system. I would really dread to have to go back to the US at this age to try to find employment, as it would also leave my wife along to care for her two very elderly parents. Does anyone know of any online agencies that could assist me in this regard?

2 hours ago, phuketsub said:

I am a 62-year old American living who has been living and working in Thailand since 1989. Before moving here I had jobs in the US. I found out last year that I have 39 out of the minimum 40 required credits to qualify for social security benefits, based on my work in the US decades ago. I need to get just one more credit to qualify. I have a lot of experience teaching English and I would like to get the last credit by teaching online, but I need to find an employer who would be willing to pay me through the US social security system. I would really dread to have to go back to the US at this age to try to find employment, as it would also leave my wife along to care for her two very elderly parents. Does anyone know of any online agencies that could assist me in this regard?

You might want to consider the "self-employment" method and pay SSA taxes that way. Might be a way to rack-up one more SS credit. But of course working in Thailand requires a work permit. Beyond what below SSA and IRS weblinks say "I know nothing!" as Sgt Schutz of Hogan's Hero's use to say.

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10022.pdf

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes

I just checked mySSA account to make sure that I will be getting my February payment as I wanted to make sure the Form 7162 fiasco didn't suspend my payment and all is good!! Nice relief to know all is well. February 3rd is the next payout date.

On 1/6/2026 at 2:30 AM, bendejo said:

Yes. The payment you receive in January 2026 is for December 2025, according to SS.

January SS payments DO include the new COLA. If it's not the 2.8% increase you expected, it's due to the increase in Medicare premiums.

On 1/6/2026 at 12:08 PM, bamnutsak said:

FWIW, there is a preliminary Form SSA-1099SM-F for 2025 available on my SSA.

FWIW, form SSA-1099 for 2025 received today, Bangkok, 10110.

Folks! It was my understanding that if they cut us off due to the 7162 fiasco, it will be the February not the January payment that defaults. Is that correct?

30 minutes ago, MJoe said:

Folks! It was my understanding that if they cut us off due to the 7162 fiasco, it will be the February not the January payment that defaults. Is that correct?

That us mu understanding, but. I have a friend who got his cut off in January last year and took him three months to get it reinstated

37 minutes ago, MJoe said:

Folks! It was my understanding that if they cut us off due to the 7162 fiasco, it will be the February not the January payment that defaults. Is that correct?

Curious?... If one logs into one's Social Security account at thier website would it show if your payment is suspended?... I lof in now and it says my next payment will be on February 3... So I assume my 7162 was received?

48 minutes ago, BKKKevin said:

Curious?... If one logs into one's Social Security account at thier website would it show if your payment is suspended?... I lof in now and it says my next payment will be on February 3... So I assume my 7162 was received?

Yes, since your SSA online acct shows your next payment scheduled for 3 Feb you are good to go for another year. If you had been cut off due to a 7162 issue then around mid Jan your payment status would have changed from active to suspended.

1 hour ago, BKKKevin said:

Curious?... If one logs into one's Social Security account at thier website would it show if your payment is suspended?... I lof in now and it says my next payment will be on February 3... So I assume my 7162 was received?

Did you mail your 7162 to Wilkes Barre in the States? Or did you do the “phone attestation”?

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Yes, since your SSA online acct shows your next payment scheduled for 3 Feb you are good to go for another year. If you had been cut off due to a 7162 issue then around mid Jan your payment status would have changed from active to suspended.

I just went to my account and it shows me good to go, don't have an account for the wife so hopefully she is good also

11 minutes ago, MJoe said:

Did you mail your 7162 to Wilkes Barre in the States? Or did you do the “phone attestation”?

I did it standard mail in the return envelope

1 hour ago, BKKKevin said:

I did it standard mail in the return envelope

Oh - that’s great I did the same, so fingers crossed I’m safe as well! I don’t have an online account, so your response is super reassuring. Thanks so much!

Once again, if anyone is still worried if they are going to get their benefits tomorrow because of the Form 7162 fiasco, just log into your mySSA account and see if it says Active with a green dot and the date of your next payment which should say February 03, 2026.

I hope everyone is ok, I am. Phew!!

You can now download your "final" SSA 1099 at your online acct....as of 1 Feb. This is not the "initial" one released in Dec 2025, but the official, final 1099.for IRS tax filing purposes.

SSA always waits to o/a 1 Feb to allow online 1099 download although they have snail mailed the final 1099 a few days/weeks earlier for those who still receive via snail mail.

19 hours ago, Pib said:

You can now download your "final" SSA 1099 at your online acct....as of 1 Feb. This is not the "initial" one released in Dec 2025, but the official, final 1099.for IRS tax filing purposes.

SSA always waits to o/a 1 Feb to allow online 1099 download although they have snail mailed the final 1099 a few days/weeks earlier for those who still receive via snail mail.

Wife got her 1099 yesterday, Rayong

19 hours ago, Pib said:

You can now download your "final" SSA 1099 at your online acct....as of 1 Feb. This is not the "initial" one released in Dec 2025, but the official, final 1099.for IRS tax filing purposes.

SSA always waits to o/a 1 Feb to allow online 1099 download although they have snail mailed the final 1099 a few days/weeks earlier for those who still receive via snail mail.

Oh my gosh, until I saw flexomike's post I forgot that both the wife and I received same day our final/official SSA 1099 around 7 to 10 days ago here in Bangkok....it was probably around the week of 19 Jan. No visible postmarks so I don't know when they were actually mailed by SSA. And then we also downloaded the 1099 from our online accts on 1 Feb.