Social Security (or SS for short) is America’s national retirement plan.  We pay into it all our working lives and we all hope that we will live long enough to get something back.  The SS payments alone are usually not nearly enough to survive on in the US.  But for most of us living in Thailand, we can live fairly comfortably on what it pays.  This makes the day we get our first SS check a pretty important one for us.

Applying for SS while living abroad is a bit confusing and for most of us quite scary.  So I thought that spelling out the steps you need to take to navigate this greatest of American bureaucracies might be helpful to those of you preparing for your next rite of passage.   

Social Security Application Process while living in Thailand

(See below for latest info.  We will add to this page as info comes in.  Feel free to email me if anything new comes up)

1.  The first step is to ask for the Social Security Claims Questionnaire.  This will help them determine whether you are eligible to receive retirement benefits. You can get the questionnaire by contacting the US Embassy or consulate.  Emailing works too.  They will send or email you the questionnaire which you simply fill out and send or fax to the US Embassy in the Philippines. If you are eligible then they will send you the real application forms, but you must do this step first.

Social Security Administration

American Embassy

1131 Roxas Blvd., Ermita

Manila 0930

Philippines

Fax:  (66) (2) 522-1514

I sent in the questionnaire about 90 days before I turned 62.  I waited 6 weeks without any reply.  So I faxed in the copy of the questionnaire.  I got my application within one week.

2. If all goes well you will receive the Application for Retirement Insurance Benefits plus a supplemental form for people living outside the US.  As with most government documents it is pretty frightening so take your time and try not to make any mistakes.  Mainly they want to know if you are really old enough to receive benefits.  They will determine how much you will receive later. 

3. With the application you will need to show proof of birth.  This might be a bit difficult for some of us living abroad if we don’t have all our documents with us.  I didn’t have my birth certificate but they can use other document like an expired driver’s license or an old passport.  The documents showing proof of birth must have been issued at least 5 years before today.  As a souvenir I had kept my military draft registration card I got when I was 18.  I don’t think they see many of those anymore.  You will also have to show a current passport.

4. The copies of these documents you will send in with your application need to be verified.  You can do that at the consulate or embassy.  This service, to my surprise, was free.  You can submit all your forms to the consular official but they recommend that you send them in yourself.  If you send them in they must be sent by a commercial service like UPS or DHL and not the Thai postal system.

5. If you want automatic deposit of your payments into a bank in the US then you will have to send in a voided check with your application.  Most people living abroad opt for automatic deposits so that their life does not depend on the local postal service.

6. Around 120 days after you apply you will get your first payment which will include the missed months since your application.

7. Take your money and enjoy it.  You earned it.  The best way to get even with the system is to live long enough so that you will receive more than you paid into it.  

The following is some information recently given to me by a reader

The PEBES is your “Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement” It shows the amount of your posted earnings during your working career.  It also shows the approximate amount of your monthly benefits at age 62 on up. SSA usually sends this to you but you ca also request it from them.

For people living in Thailand you will need to contact Manilla to get the following forms to start your check initiation process:  

The following forms that you should complete are:

1. Form SSA-1;

2. Form SSA-21;

3. Form SSA-150 only if you are receiving, or expect to receive, a non-covered pension from the United States. "Non-covered pension" means that the pension is based on your work that is not covered by Social Security;

4. Form SSA-308 only if you are receiving, or expect to receive, a non-covered pension from a foreign (not U.S.) country;

5. Form SSA-7163 only if you have employment, or self-employment outside the United States in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

6. Felony Statement,form SSA-795.

The documents that you need to submit are:

1. Your birth certificate or baptismal certificate recorded before you attained age 5;

2. Your current U.S. Passport;

3. Proof of your pension only if you are receiving, or expect to receive, a non-covered pension;

4. Proof of your employment or self-employment in 2004, 2005 and 2006 if applicable.

You should submit the original documents or copies certified by a representative at the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai.

On getting direct deposit in Thailand

Bangkok Bank (the only one I have found so far) will allow direct deposits in Thailand, even though the Social Security's website, ssa.gov, does not include Thailand on the list of countries that allow direct deposits.  Not every branch will know about this so please check with them before you do anything.  

You must open a separate special account; one with no ATM card option. The money is usually deposited promptly but to withdraw your money you may have to transfer the cash to another Bangkok Bank account first. These restrictions are probably to protect you and your money from other people accessing your direct deposit account. 

Live long and prosper.

Latest info

I recently received the following email from an American retiree here who said that a few of the steps above have changed.  Read below but always do your own checking as things are in constant flux over at SSA.

Hugh,

FYI, I emailed the consulate and asked for the pre-application SSA questionnaire. They said:
 

"Thank you for your email.  There is no longer a pre-questionnaire, and when you come to the Consulate, we process the information sheet in person with your assistance.  Please make an appointment for this service and we will gladly assist you.

American Citizen Services

Consulate General of the United States

Chiang Mai, Thailand

<<<<<<<<<<  EXTRACT FROM SSA.GOV >>>>>>>>>>>>

 

We suggest that you have the following information at hand. It will make completing the application much easier.

• Your date and place of birth and Social Security number;
• Your bank or other financial institution's Routing Transit Number [more info] and the account number, if you want the benefits electronically deposited.
• The amount of money earned last year and this year. If you are filing for benefits in the months of September through December, you will also need to estimate next year's earnings;
• The name and address of your employer(s) for this year and last year;
• The beginning and ending dates of any active U.S. military service you had before 1968;
• The name, Social Security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death (if appropriate); and
• A copy of your Social Security Statement.
  Even if the earnings on your Statement are not correct or you are not sure if they are correct, please fill out the application. We will assist you in reviewing and correcting your record after we receive the application.

If you do not have a Statement and would like to have one, you may request one by visiting our Social Security Statement Page. We will mail a Statement to you.

Do not wait for the Statement to fill out your application. You may lose some benefits if you wait for your Statement to arrive. We will help you review your earnings history when we receive the application.

Documents You May Need to Provide

We may need to see certain documents in order to pay benefits. A list of these documents will appear at the end of the application, along with instructions on where to submit them. The types of documents we may ask for are:

• your original birth certificate or other proof of birth [more info] (You may also submit a copy of your birth certificate certified by the issuing agency).;
• your original citizenship or naturalization papers [more info];
• a copy of your U.S. military service paper(s) (e.g., DD-214 - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) [more info]; and
• a copy of your W-2 form(s) [more info] and/or self-employment tax return [more info] for last year.