| There
are certain days in our lives that are just a little
more memorable than others. The day we arrive on
this planet and the day we leave are the two most
significant I would guess. In between there’s our
first day of school, the days we get our driver’s
license, graduate from school, receive our first
passport, get married, and welcome our children into
this world. I have just gone through another rite
of passage; one that many of us look to with great
expectations. I just received my first Social
Security payment.
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:
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.
Live long and prosper. |
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