us social security survivor benefit for thai wife

[SeabagsFull]

My wife and I were mariried in Thailand in 2002. The marriage was registered in Thailand, but not in the U.S..

We did obtain a marriage visa to the US for my wife in 2004. We lived in the US for 6 years and had a child there.

She has a SS #, worked int he US, paid SS while there and we always filed joint tax returns.

Is it still necessary to register the marriage with the US consulate or does the marriage visa, and other aformnentioned documentation of our marriage inthe US sufice?

Your wife qualifies because of her residency. No need to do anything.

US embassy does not register marriages.

Agree with Ubonjoe #57.

More specifically to your marriage, you obviously satisfied any marriage confirmation requirements when your wife received her "marriage" visa.

In the case of a Thai in the U.S for long periods of time (equal to or greater than five years) on a Tourist visa, I'm sure you'd have to submit a marriage certificate to the SSA; my guess is that this certificate would need to be translated into English with the translation certified by the Ministery of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

In every case, if you have a child whom you've obtained U.S. citizenship papers at the U.S. Embassy for, you're eligible to receive benefits for him or her, or have someone designated to receive the benefits oh his or her behalf in case of your passing.

Note that the five-year rule for non-resident non U.S. citizens was not always the law. I'm not sure exactly when it was introduced, but I'm pretty sure the rule was not implemented retroactively.

[mackayae]

The US Treasury has foreign direct deposit arrangements with many countries, but not with Thailand. You can do this with a Bangkok Bank account by having your payment deposited in their New York branch. They will automatically transfer the funds to your local Thai account. However, if you set this up with Bangkok Bank you will not have access to the funds via ATM or online. You have to visit the bank branch each month to get your money. There are ways around this.

I go to Bangkok Bank each month and transfer my SSA payment from my BB SSA account to my BB savings account. I would be interested in "there are ways around this". Could you elaborate? Edited September 15, 2013 by mackayae

[mackayae]

[quote name="SeabagsFull" post="6825513" timestamp="1379223

Note that the five-year rule for non-resident non U.S. citizens was not always the law. I'm not sure exactly when it was introduced, but I'm pretty sure the rule was not implemented retroactively.

I believe in the 80's. During the Reagan administration.

Edited September 15, 2013 by mackayae

[stevehaigh]

Most of the answers on the forum were incorrect.

Actually due to many international agreements your Thai wife is entitled to either a lump sum death benefit or monthly payment death benefits. Whether she was ever in the US or not. As long as your marriage is both legal and registered with the US Consulate. I know of two Thai woman never having been in the US receiving benefits. One is getting monthly death benefits and the other's children receive benefits as he *the American" was their father. It is certainly most helpful if you make arrangements for this before your demise or if she knows someone in the US that will help her apply and receive the benefits.

See here on the US consulate page

http://chiangmai.usconsulate.gov/service/u.s.-federal-benefit-information.html

You may also contact the SSA in the US directly for information on how to ensure your wife gets the benefits she is entitled to.

Jeff

this would be great news if it was true but other posters have seemed to confirm it isn't, since my wife hasn't been in the US for more than a few weeks and never will be.

anyhow, you are right, the best thing is to contact the SSA and ask about my situation directly. i'll post the reply if i get one

steve

[mackayae]

Keep up the good work Ratsima. Thank you for helping us out.

When I retired 15 years ago from a private company, our company gave a few seminars about retirement for the retirees. Most of the questions from the retirees were about the IRS and SSA. It was surprising how little the company presenter knew. After retirement, even my tax forms submitted by my employer were incorrect. It is fortunate we have some good advice on this forum.

[ubonjoe]

The US Treasury has foreign direct deposit arrangements with many countries, but not with Thailand. You can do this with a Bangkok Bank account by having your payment deposited in their New York branch. They will automatically transfer the funds to your local Thai account. However, if you set this up with Bangkok Bank you will not have access to the funds via ATM or online. You have to visit the bank branch each month to get your money. There are ways around this.

I go to Bangkok Bank each month and transfer my SSA payment from my BB SSA account to my BB savings account. I would be interested in "there are ways around this". Could you elaborate?

I don't think there is any.

Other than having it sent first to a US bank and then have it transferred to a standard Bangkok bank account.

[The Usual Suspect]

Most of the answers on the forum were incorrect.

Actually due to many international agreements your Thai wife is entitled to either a lump sum death benefit or monthly payment death benefits. Whether she was ever in the US or not. As long as your marriage is both legal and registered with the US Consulate. I know of two Thai woman never having been in the US receiving benefits. One is getting monthly death benefits and the other's children receive benefits as he *the American" was their father. It is certainly most helpful if you make arrangements for this before your demise or if she knows someone in the US that will help her apply and receive the benefits.

See here on the US consulate page

http://chiangmai.usconsulate.gov/service/u.s.-federal-benefit-information.html

You may also contact the SSA in the US directly for information on how to ensure your wife gets the benefits she is entitled to.

Jeff

this would be great news if it was true but other posters have seemed to confirm it isn't, since my wife hasn't been in the US for more than a few weeks and never will be.

anyhow, you are right, the best thing is to contact the SSA and ask about my situation directly. i'll post the reply if i get one

steve

Indeed! This would be an amazing development if the information is correct. The S.S. contact I talked to in the states said NOTHING about this. If there's someone out there (perhaps Ratsima????) who could give us some definitive information on this particular post, I would be eternally grateful!

[stevehaigh]

i just sent the following email to the ssa email address in manila listed on the bankok acs website

"

hello, i wonder if you can help me.

I'm a US citizen, i worked in the US for 20+ years and i am entitled to social security benefits of $1414/month if i retire at 62, more if I wait longer of course.

i'm 54 now so I have a few years to go.

I live in Thailand with my Thai wife (legally married in Thailand), who does not have a US social security number. she has a US tourist visa and has been to the US once for a few weeks. we plan to stay in Thailand permanently and maybe visit the US a few times, but not live there.

i wonder if you can tell me what would happen in the event of my death, both before and after i reach retirement age? would she be entitled to any survivor benefits? and if so, how would i go about setting something up for her, since she would have no idea what to do without me around to help.

"

i'll let everyone know what happens. i can't be the first person to be in this situation but i guess you only really find out what happens after you're dead and by then, its a little hard to post

[mackayae]

I have been told (you have all heard this before) that besides your SSA check, also the SSA check for your minor child(ren), your wife can get a SSA check as caretaker of the minor child providing she has lived in the US for five years. Maybe Ratsima can comment on this.

On a side note, I am going to the Warden meeting in Bangkok later this month. I will suggest to ACS that they could start a technical warden group that have expertise in such fields. Among the US expats in Thailand there is probably an untapped wealth of knowledge.

[mouse]

As a former VFW Service Officer I can assure you that many Widows in Thailand have received Social Security Benefits based on their spouses income at age 60.

The rule is that if the Veteran dies on active duty or as a result of combat related injuries, the 5 year rule is waived for Social Security. Agent Orange related illnesses and PTSD are considered combat related illnesses.

There are many here still living with those illnesses. I will even mention a Widow that receive retroactive SS benefits, which was a very seldom case, due to having been denied by the Consulate previously and in error. This is above and beyond the VA benefits these Widows were entitled to and received.

Edited September 15, 2013 by mouse

[Nana Cowboy]

I am in similar situation. I, we, thought about what it would entail to do what ur thinking of doing. We thought for some minutes. We blew off trying to do it. a great big large blow off. we dont want to even think about what we'd have to do. we love where we are in thailand. nope we dont need it that badly to bother with

[ubonjoe]

From SSA publication number 05-10137 pages 10 and 11 I have posted a link to twice in this topic.

Additional residency requirements for dependents and survivors If you receive benefits as a dependent or survivor of a worker, special requirements may affect your right to receive Social Security payments while you are outside the United States. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must have lived in the United States for at least five years. During those five years, the family relationship on which benefits are based must have existed. Children may meet this residency requirement on their own or may be considered as meeting the residency requirement if the worker and other parent (if any) meet it. However, children adopted outside the United States will not be paid outside the United States, even if the residency requirement is met. The residency requirement will not apply to you if you meet any of the following conditions: •You were initially eligible for monthly benefits before January 1, 1985; •You are entitled on the record of a worker who died while in the U.S. military service or as a result of a service-connected disease or injury;•You are a citizen of one of the countries listed on page 5; or •You are a resident of one of the countries with which the United States has a social security agreement. These countries are listed on page 8

Pages 5 and 8 do not have Thailand listed. Edited September 15, 2013 by ubonjoe

[dighambara]

First, I hope you know that there is no minimum that social security will pay. The amount you receive is based on a formula figured from the average of what you paid in for the last 20 years before you are eligible.

Also, if you take SS at age 62 you get only about 75% of what you would get if you waited until you are 67. The maximum one can collect is about $US2,500 per month but you'd have to pay in the maximum for each of the last 20 years. The maximum, I think, is based on you being taxed on about $100k earning per year. Obviously the more you earn, the bigger your tax.

So by being in Thailand, unless you are paying a lot into your SS account each year, you might wind up getting very little monthly when the time comes. I get the maximum, but most people I know get less and some far less.

Next, someone may correct me, but I thought your wife had to live in the US for 5 consecutive years to be eligible to collect your SS. Of that I'm not at all sure so someone else will chime in.

I believe you can ask SS online for a statement and have them mail you your SS status, and how much you would draw if you retired today at 62. But I don't know if you will pay any more in for the rest of your last 20 years.

You might consider returning to the US now and making as much money as you can to build up your SS income, and to get your wife eligible for it. ??

Having traveled to the US why didn't you apply for an SSN at the time - refusal is likely, but one must try. Likewise, I expect you file for US Taxes, so you wife has a TIN (Tax Identification Number). A TIN doesn't expand the horizons much, but for one of my retirements I was able to establish a survivor fund. Payments to me lowered, but after I am gone she will receive a stipend. As for the time clause, which was once 18 Months, now apparently 5 years. People have faked that by showing up for interviews years apart and having a local address (parents house). In the late 60's a friend did just that for his wife - a 2 week visit to establish the account and 18 months later they returned for the final interview.

Lastly, there is the logical option of putting money in savings.

[Ratsima]

I've responded to everyone who sent me a PM. If I missed you, try again.

I'm happy to help with any Social Security questions via PM.

Here's how I handle direct deposit:

My Social Security and Federal pension are deposited in an HSBC online account in the US. HSBC automatically transfers a portion of that to Bangkok Bank in New York using my local (Bangkok Bank) account number. It ends up in my local account a few days later. I have full ATM and online access to the funds. No need to visit the bank each month to transfer money.

[Suradit69]

You can't get the max if you choose to start collecting at age 62. You will only get about 75% of what you would get if you wait until age 67. Even if you don't work between ages 62 and 67, you can still collect the max by waiting until you're 67 if you paid in the max between ages 42 and 62.

Regardless of how much you earn and how much tax you pay, and how much SS you're eligible for, you still get that 25% reduction in whatever you would get if you start collecting at age 62.

i just checked and i get $1985 if i retire at 66.9, $1414 if i retire at 62 and $2487 at 70.

interesting, if i live to 85, then my total payments for retirement for 66.9, 70, and 62 are $431,142, $447,660, $390,264 so i get the most money retiring at 70

of course if i go sooner, the retiring sooner makes more sense. since i'm pretty healthy, i guess the smart thing is to wait, but you never know, shit happens

i guess the big question however, is how much can you trust the numbers on the estimator. since the US is already broke, who knows what will happen to SS in the future?

Yes, the 75% comment is rather misleading. You might get 75% of what you would have received per month, but you would receive that amount for an additional 5 years or 60 months before you received anything by waiting until 67.

I started at 62 and, because I didn't need it, I just invested it myself. In most cases you'd have to live to a ripe old age before the greater monthly payments meant your net take was any greater and even longer assuming you were receiving some investment income from those additional 5 years of payments.

And, as you say, given the "great financial management" of the US government, even if they keep paying something well into the future, real inflation (as opposed to the fictional amount they use to do annual adjustments to payments) will probably eat away it's value.

If your family has a history of folks living to 100, maybe wait. Otherwise you're probably better off taking what you can when you can.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Suradit69

[Pib]

For most people, if they start taking SS at 62 at around age 78 to 80 the total amount received over their life time (say they live to 90 which is getting easier to do nowdays) will be significantly less than if they had waited until their full retirement age (66 to 67). But if a person starts taking the money at 62 and can afford to invest each monthly payment--and if the investment grows the money--then they can offset some or most of the financial downside to taking an early pension. But another downside is you are not spending the pension either...you are basically just letting the monthly pension accumulate in a bank/investment until you die/for a rainy day...I guess that's good for whoever you might be saving the money for....but St Peter definitely won't need it.

For each person it will be different depending on how much monthly pension they get, what bills they have to pay, can they afford to invest the money or must spend it to live, their health condition (how long they thing they will live), etc....etc....etc. I'm still debating with myself at what age to start drawing SS...been debating with myself at least 10 years now but as I get closer to 62 I'm taking the debate more seriously.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Pib

[cnxkoolpunt9]

A US citizen's Thai spouse can get Social Security benefits if he/she has attained the age of 62 and had resided in the US for at least 5 years. You can make arrangements to send Social Security payments to Bangkok Bank head office: call (02) 2301323 for information.

[gchurch259]

Dear Stevehaigh, I have enjoyed reading all the enteries "About how the West was won" and would like to make an ebtry.

First; You mentioned on not having a Marriage Registered in the US. My question is do you have it registered in Thailand.? That is all that is required. I have been married to a very nice Thailand Lady nearly 10 years and I got her a "Green Card" last year. Go do that as long as you have been married and lived in Thailand it can all be processed in Bangkok. Once you get the Visa and enter the USA she will get a permenant Card within two to three weeks, based on the length of your marriage. She will also recieve a SS card in the mail at a USA address, if you select that option on the "Green Card" application.

Second, If you are retired military the JUSMAGTHAI volunteers will help you get all the paperwork set for your wife in case you are drawing DOD retirement and go to the "Big Hangar in The Sky".

My SS payments go to a bank in USA and I draw or transfer what I need with ATM cards.

I too maxed out for several years until the "Bing Bats" in D.C. raised the rate so high I could not reach it.

Hope some of this helps !!

Jerry

[smotherb]

Steve,

There is far too much misinforation on this forum.

Get in touch with the Social Security Administration. You can do most of it free over the phone using skype. Your phone call can give you the basic info and have the necessary publications and projected SS amounts mailed to you so you can make an informed decision.

I took my Social Security at 62. My SS amount was NOT figured on 20 years, but on 35 years. I chose to take it at 62 rather than 67-- it is less, but it is NOT 75% less. I decided on 62 because I would have to live to age 79 before the gross amount I would receive at 67 would surpass the gross amount I receive at 62. Besides, I received the money 5 years earlier and who knows if I am going to make 79. If I make 79, I'lI just smile and live on less. Do the math when the SSA provides your projected SS amounts and see for yourself. You may also find your wife does not have to wait until you die to receive SS benefits. My wife, who is a nautralized American, will receive SS based off my SS benefit when she reaches 62 and it will not alter the amount I receive. When I die, she will receive the amount I now receive.

I would recommend you have your marriage certified by the US Embassy soonest. There is, I believe, an SSA representative there at times and you may get all your quesrions answered with a phone call or appointment at the embassy.

[Yodrak]

Amazing how much total nonsense this thread contains....

Agreed.

[Pib]

. My wife, who is a nautralized American, will receive SS based off my SS benefit when she reaches 62 and it will not alter the amount I receive. When I die, she will receive the amount I now receive.

Thanks...I just learned something new and something I had missed in calculations for the wife's and my future SS benefits, specifically that her SS pension would end up being "adjusted upwards" upon my death (assuming I go before her) since my benefit will be higher than hers.

So just for example, lets say based on my year of birth my full retirement benefit if retiring at age 66 would have been $1000 but I instead retire early at 62 and therefore only get 75%/$750, and the wife's SS benefit which will be based on my record retires early at age 62 and using the SS math she will get 35% of my full $1000 or $350...like shown at this SSA webpage for my year group. She is also a naturalized U.S. citizen, did work while in the States, but didn't quite earn the 40 work credits needs plus her earnings were not that great...she will get more pension based on my work record/earnings.

Now I start off getting $750/month at age 62 and hopefully yearly COLAs will increase that as I get older. A few years later my wife turns 62, opts for early pension based on my earning record and gets $350/month along with the COLAs over the ensuring years. So between us we are getting $1100 in SS pensions. Now to simply the math lets say no COLAs occur and I croak at 90 and my $750/month stops arriving; instead of the wife having to live on only the $350/month she was getting, her pension will be adjusted up to what I was getting which was $750. Which means instead of the wife continuing on with only $350/month she will continue on with $750/month after my departure. That makes a big difference.

Did a little googling and I think this quote from a website puts its well:

Underlying a lot of the thinking about Social Security spousal benefits is the calculation of what will happen to a household's Social Security income when one spouse dies. When that happens, the surviving spouse is allowed to continue either their own benefit or, if it's higher, their spouse's benefit.

[HerbalEd]

BTW, I worked for US Social Security for 30 years. During that long career I never once encountered anyone who "paid in the maximum". Many people thought or claimed that they had, but I never, ever saw it. I'm not saying it never happens, but I never saw it.

You worked for SSA for 30 years?

You're the one who won't answer questions publicly but asks for PM's? The reigning expert never hear of "paid the maximum?"

"When you have wages or self-employment income covered by Social Security, you pay Social Security taxes each year up to a maximum amount set by law. For 2013, you will pay Social Security taxes on income below $113,700..."

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/240/~/social-security-and-medicare-tax-rates%3B-maximum-taxable-earnings

So the maximum amount one could/would pay would be the prevailing tax rate up to the first $113,700.

Great work, NeverSure. You insult the one person here that's an expert on the subject and now he's gone. Why do I imagine you do this sort of thing a lot? Must be difficult being you. I was actually learning a lot of very useful information and now I'm out of here also.

Edited September 15, 2013 by HerbalEd

[HerbalEd]

Amazing how much total nonsense this thread contains....

care to elaborate? and no, i'm not going to PM you. if you have something constructive to add, let every one know

Are you always so rude with those to whom you ask favors? You know you could have conveyed the same message but with a lot more tact. You should try it sometime ... it'll work much better for you.

[SeabagsFull]

Dear Stevehaigh, I have enjoyed reading all the enteries "About how the West was won" and would like to make an ebtry.

First; You mentioned on not having a Marriage Registered in the US. My question is do you have it registered in Thailand.? That is all that is required. I have been married to a very nice Thailand Lady nearly 10 years and I got her a "Green Card" last year. Go do that as long as you have been married and lived in Thailand it can all be processed in Bangkok. Once you get the Visa and enter the USA she will get a permenant Card within two to three weeks, based on the length of your marriage. She will also recieve a SS card in the mail at a USA address, if you select that option on the "Green Card" application.

Second, If you are retired military the JUSMAGTHAI volunteers will help you get all the paperwork set for your wife in case you are drawing DOD retirement and go to the "Big Hangar in The Sky".

My SS payments go to a bank in USA and I draw or transfer what I need with ATM cards.

I too maxed out for several years until the "Bing Bats" in D.C. raised the rate so high I could not reach it.

Hope some of this helps !!

Jerry

Good info, Gchurch259 #78.

JUSMAGTHAI did issue my wife a military dependent's ID card.

I know they will help if you pass away, but I've never heard of them providing just-in-case paperwork services while you're still alive.

As a retired military man, you can also open an account with USAA. Using Bangkok Bank New York's routing number, you can perform online domestic transfers for free (i.e., no charge by USAA).

[gk10002000]

First, I hope you know that there is no minimum that social security will pay. The amount you receive is based on a formula figured from the average of what you paid in for the last 20 years before you are eligible.

Also, if you take SS at age 62 you get only about 75% of what you would get if you waited until you are 67. The maximum one can collect is about $US2,500 per month but you'd have to pay in the maximum for each of the last 20 years. The maximum, I think, is based on you being taxed on about $100k earning per year. Obviously the more you earn, the bigger your tax.

So by being in Thailand, unless you are paying a lot into your SS account each year, you might wind up getting very little monthly when the time comes. I get the maximum, but most people I know get less and some far less.

Next, someone may correct me, but I thought your wife had to live in the US for 5 consecutive years to be eligible to collect your SS. Of that I'm not at all sure so someone else will chime in.

I believe you can ask SS online for a statement and have them mail you your SS status, and how much you would draw if you retired today at 62. But I don't know if you will pay any more in for the rest of your last 20 years.

You might consider returning to the US now and making as much money as you can to build up your SS income, and to get your wife eligible for it. ??

i just checked and i get $1985 if i retire at 66.9, $1414 if i retire at 62 and $2487 at 70.

interesting, if i live to 85, then my total payments for retirement for 66.9, 70, and 62 are $431,142, $447,660, $390,264 so i get the most money retiring at 70

of course if i go sooner, the retiring sooner makes more sense. since i'm pretty healthy, i guess the smart thing is to wait, but you never know, shit happens

i guess the big question however, is how much can you trust the numbers on the estimator. since the US is already broke, who knows what will happen to SS in the future?

going back to work in the US is out of the question for me, i'd rather die poor here

also, i found another thread which says my wife would need to be a citizen or permanent resident to get the benefit so that isn't happening, still i figure 6 months in the US when i'm ready to sign up would be a nice break.

just out of interest though, could there be any problem with SS benefits for someone who hasn't been to the US for 10+ years, hasn't paid taxes (or made money) for 10 years and doesn't even have a current address over there? i do file tax returns every year and keep my passport valid of course

I am glad to see somebody actually running out the current numbers. More people should do that. SS seems to use an actuarial age of around 85 or so as the break even point. That means if you take your benefits early, say at 62 1/2, yes you get less per month than if you had waited until later, but you start getting money sooner. If you wait until 66 or whatever to start getting payments, you would have to live until 85 in order to get as much total money as if you had gotten less payments longer. Since I don't trust how long the payouts will last, I plan to take the money almost as soon as possible. I can do better with it investing than SS can. And if I get to 85? I will take that risk of shorting myself a bit.

[markbosenn]

I am not sure what info you have been receiving, but this is directly from SS admin. I also wanted to try and get SS for my wife.

First of all, she will never get any SS if she does not work in the US and pay into the system, your SS is YOURS only.

exceptions: If you pass away and have a child before passing, you need to have the child registered as your birth child in the us, get a SS # for the child. Also, if married and show proof of marriage, THEN your wife will get SS until the child is 18, only because she would be the primary care taker of YOUR child, the child will also get SS until he/she is 18.

The wife, if no child is involved will NEVER get SS from you or the USA period!!

[Oxpilot]

One correction. You don't need 20 years to be eligible. It is really based on credits which you need 40 credits and this is equal to about 10 years.

So really you only need 10 years of full time work to be eligible for social Security benefits. Of course when you retire and the amount you paid in will determine the

the benefit amount.

My one friend lived in Thailand for 8 years and then moved back to the US with his Thai wife and children.

After two years being in the US he died. As stated typically a wife would need to be a US resident for 5 years to be eligible. However

in this case Social Security office did grant her benefits. They had 3 children when he died, The ages of the children was 8yrs, 6yrs, and a 3yrs old.

I don't know all the details but I assume since they had kids together this proved they had a real relationship and they allowed her to get the benefits or the benefits was just for the children. I Don't know if you have any children, if so then the child if under the age of 18 might be eligible for some benefits. I do recall his wife at the time

telling me something about needing to be in the US for 5 years but they waved that. I forget how much she got i think is was $800 per child. I know he paid in the max all his life, even when he was working in Thailand as he was living here in Thailand but working for a US company.

My son age 15 has received benefits which started at around $800 when he was born and are now over $1,000/month and he will continue receiving until 18. He has lived with me in Thailand for the last 3 years. I took SS benefits at 62 because of the added amount of income for the 3 years between 62 and 65 made up for the reduction in my benefit. That $30,000 +/- extra benefit made up for a lot of the age 62 penalty.

[allucero]

Your Wife most live in the USA for live years and she must be 60 years old to collect any of your Social Security when you die first... The other payments to you know collect at 26 or 65-66 (this depends on when you were born)... It is better if you travel here and she applies to become a US citizen, than it does not matter if she stays or goes back to Thailand... BOTTOM LINE THIS IS THE RULES....

[Ratsima]

I haven't been following this thread. I'm in Khao Yai with family desperately trying to compose timely replies to numerous PMs using an iPad on a slow Internet connection.

Here's an online tool for exploring benefits while outside the US:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html

As has been noted, this thread contains some whoppers, most of which I've heard before.

However, the prize winner is the post that asserted that you will get the maximum benefit if you pay in the max from age 42 to 62. I really wonder where that came from.

I will be home this afternoon and in a better position to respond to PMs.

Remember, however, that my advice is worth exactly what you pay for it!

Also keep in mind that it is easy to make erroneous generalizations from replies to very specific inquiries. I suspect that most of the bad information on this and other threads started out with a grain of truth which got badly distorted in the retelling.

[mackayae]

I am not sure what info you have been receiving, but this is directly from SS admin. I also wanted to try and get SS for my wife.

First of all, she will never get any SS if she does not work in the US and pay into the system, your SS is YOURS only.

exceptions: If you pass away and have a child before passing, you need to have the child registered as your birth child in the us, get a SS # for the child. Also, if married and show proof of marriage, THEN your wife will get SS until the child is 18, only because she would be the primary care taker of YOUR child, the child will also get SS until he/she is 18.

"your wife will get SS until the child is 18, only because she would be the primary care taker of your child". I have been told this is applicable only if your wife has lived in the US for 5 years. Does anyone know what the SSA regulation is on this subject?