EP483 US Social Security Administration Suspends Accounts for Retirees Abroad!

[Xipe Totec]

In this video the publisher shares the current state of social security suspending accounts for those select people overseas and the confusion as no notice of action nor warnings come to the recipients either by mail or in their personal MySocialSecurity accounts online.

[people]

1. Wow

So AWFUL!

[Lifeafter70]

2. I told hubby yesterday that this would be their first blow to ss

They think it's mostly dems that retire overseas and their base will be happy with this.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

3. omg

[dalton99a]

4. This is the form they need every one to two years:

https://bb.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2025/02/SSA-7162.pdf

[GardenGnome]

11. The form may be the issue

I'm a Canadian living in Canada but did work in the U.S for a number of years and a quarter of my income comes from Social Security. This year I received a form that had to be filled out and returned in order for my Social Security to continue. This form doesn't come every year, but it did this year, and in January which is when I have learned to expect it. I always fill out the form and sent it back the next day. This year was no exception, and I did receive my February SS payment. It came January 31st because the 1st was a Saturday.

With everything that's happening right now, I will never know from month to month if I will continue to receive my Social Security, but I do wonder if this gentleman's failure to receive his Social Security has got more to do with their not receiving the form in time than anything else. There doesn't seem to have been enough time between January 20 when Trump took office to January 31 for Musk to have stopped any payments.

[GreenWave]

18. So DeJoy to the demons' rescue. He will slow down the process.

[Pototan]

5. This guy's life is similar to mine

I live on a farm that produces the same things as his, except I get a lot of eggs, both duck and chicken. And instead to Thailand, I'm in the Philippines.

However, I still have a US address and a guest room in a relative's house. I use that address for my direct deposit into a US bank and receive my mail there. Payments are made through the internet and any transfers from the US go to my Sister-in-Laws account here in the Philippines and I can withdraw from there.

I use the room in America for a week or so every year or two.

[proud patriot]

6. This is Unacceptable

[Meowmee]

7. Maybe they didn't submit that document?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/benefits-suspended-americans-abroad-suddenly-203035535.html

[Xipe Totec]

8. Maybe they didn't get a notice?

[KS Toronado]

9. Lets make sure MSM reports on this a lot

Everyone receiving SS benefits and soon to be retirees need to hear about this without being
white-washed or gas-lighted that Eloon is coming after YOU next.

We need to get the word out on social media, spread the word. This will be the downfall of the
reQublican party we've been hoping for, plus Eloon might get kicked to the curb.

[raccoon]

16. He deserves kicks in two other places.

[stopdiggin]

10. many here have already decided this is a result of DOGE and Musk

stomping about. It appears as that is not the case, according to an article that a poster (Meowmee) linked above - and I will recommend as answering a lot of questions. Will also repost link and some relevant excerpts ...

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/benefits-suspended-americans-abroad-suddenly-203035535.html

This Suspension Is Not Related to DOGE or Elon Musk
While Social Security funding has been a hot topic in Washington, these recent suspensions are unrelated to the controversy surrounding Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk and DOGE have faced backlash after a judge temporarily blocked them from accessing the Treasury Department's payment system, which handles Social Security payments, tax refunds and federal salaries. This move came after concerns that DOGE had accessed sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers and bank account details. Treasury officials later clarified that DOGE had only "read-only" access, but Democrats have raised alarms about possible government overreach.

Despite the political storm in Washington, the current suspension of Social Security benefits for Americans abroad is entirely unrelated to DOGE, Musk or any policy changes under President Donald Trump. This is a routine SSA process to verify eligibility, and anyone who submits their required form will have their payments reinstated.

What To Do Next
If you live abroad and rely on Social Security benefits, check whether you have received the Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire. If not, contact your Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) immediately to avoid further delays.

The SSA has been sending out these forms for decades, but this unexpected hold on payments has been a frustrating wake-up call for many affected beneficiaries. Fortunately, the solution is straightforward – send in the form, follow up with the FBU and your benefits should resume within a week.

[SunSeeker]

12. Holy shit. My dad is retired living abroad. I wonder if he got his February SS deposit.

That is his only retirement income. He's 86. Filling out forms is hard for him.

I just sent him a message asking if he got his payment. I sure hope he did. 🤞

[calimary]

13. Shit. Just what we need.

More disruption and chaos.

Regardless how it happened. Or the reason. Or a rule. It’s still disruptive, confusing, and a very unwelcome and inconvenient surprise.

[BlueMTexpat]

14. Suspension of SSI to retirees abroad is certainly one of my fears.

SSI is one of the benefits that support me as a retiree abroad. Without it, I would be in deep sh*t.

Unlike the individual in this video, I received my February benefit. It was not transferred into my account abroad until 03 Feb, however, which is the latest that has ever happened. I realize that 31 Jan was on Friday, so did not go into immediate panic mode.

But when I see that a poster above actually had his payment transferred on 01 Feb, I wonder whether my March payment will be on the block.

As other posters have mentioned above, I always complete and return the form posted above - immediately - when SS sends it. But I haven't yet received one in 2025.

I did, however, just renew my US passport (I had completed all requirements before 20 Jan, so that went smoothly) and the new US passport form requires a Social Security Number as well as all the usual information. So having done that may have saved me for the moment at least.

Another benefit that I receive abroad is my UN pension. Until 2021, we had to complete and return a printed Certificate of Enitlement annually in order to continue receiving our pension benefits. From 2021, all of us who are in areas where we can do so must have downloaded an app on our smartphones in order to post a digital photo to that app annually in order to continue receiving UNJSPF benefits. Those who cannot post digitally must at least continue to use the printed Certificate of Employment.

While I certainly understand the need to confirm that people living abroad and receiving SSI are still alive, withholding payments to anyone without notice is simply unacceptable.

[marybourg]

17. Do you mean S.S.? SSI is a poverty

program. I can’t believe it’s paid to expatriates.

[BlueMTexpat]

20. I am not sure what you mean.

SSI is paid to anyone who has contributed to US Social Security during their employment in the USA or by US employers.

I have worked both in the USA and abroad, paid into US SS when and where that was required, and fulfilled all other requirements for receiving SSI.

SSI is NOT a poverty program and is paid to anyone who fulfills the requirements after retirement, whether they are US citizens or not and wherever they choose to live.. https://www.ssa.gov/retirement

You may be thinking about Supplemental Social Security Income, which is indeed a disability and/or poverty program https://www.ssa.gov/ssi

[marybourg]

21. What you are describing as "SSI" is just plain Social Security (S.S.) without an "I".

What you are calling “Supplemental Social Security Income” is actually called “ Supplemental Security Income”. without the word “Social” in the title, and has nothing to do with Social Security. Just an unfortunate coincidence of acronyms. Social Security Disability, (SSD) on the other hand, is part of Social Security.

[BlueMTexpat]

22. OK, fine. eom

[BoRaGard]

15. repubes are STEALING from retirees to give tax breaks to billionaires

G.O.P. a-holery has no bottom

[3Hotdogs]

19. Alls I know, If my SS is not in my account on Wednesday, I go to a bankruptcy att'y on Thurs.

FUCK JAMIE DIMON and "Bugger the Bankers."