US SS form 7162

[cmarshall 2,974]

Do we know what is going to happen this year with SS form 7162?  If the SSA mails it to us, it may arrive late or not at all in Thailand.  And it seems that we won't be able to mail it back via Thai Post in the near future.  On the other hand, is there any reason that we cannot just download the form now from the ssa.gov website and send it back via DHL?  Would like to avoid headaches as much as possible.

[ubonjoe 47,897]

Mail seems to be taking a while to get here. I plan on waiting until mid July for it.

The office in Manila has said you can email the form to them if you cannot mail it back. 

If no form by July I will download one, complete it an email it to them.

[pmarlin 925]

Just checked the SSA web site to get the SSA 7162 or see if it had changed from the one I downloaded a couple of years ago and no longer available for download. But search on google will give you sites where you can download.ssa7162ocrsm.pdf

[Trillian 1,089]

9 minutes ago, pmarlin said:

Just checked the SSA web site to get the SSA 7162 or see if it had changed from the one I downloaded a couple of years ago and no longer available for download. But search on google will give you sites where you can download.ssa7162ocrsm.pdf

Thanks you for that, is the form you posted the latest version and will SSA accept a printed copy rather than the orginal they send?

[connda 17,488]

On 6/1/2020 at 9:55 AM, ubonjoe said:

Mail seems to be taking a while to get here. I plan on waiting until mid July for it.

The office in Manila has said you can email the form to them if you cannot mail it back. 

If no form by July I will download one, complete it an email it to them.

Just out of curiosity, when did you contact Manila?  As a global mod you'd be in a great position to obtain any info SSA Manila is willing to share for the benefit of expats in Thailand as you could pin the information -  this may be an interesting year for dealing with bureaucracies <SSA, USPS, Thai Post Office, etc>. 

Regarding this:
"The office in Manila has said you can email the form to them if you cannot mail it back. ",
what do they mean if 'you cannot mail it back?"  Is first class mail not being sent from Thailand to the US? 

This may be a good start of a thread for those expecting the yearly "Are you still alive" 7162 form from SSA.  Personally I'll post when my form shows up (if it shows up).  Hopefully we can all help each other with info updates this year.

Edited June 6, 2020 by connda

[ubonjoe 47,897]

30 minutes ago, connda said:

Just out of curiosity, when did you contact Manila? 

I received an email from a friend who got info about it.

31 minutes ago, connda said:

Is first class mail not being sent from Thailand to the US? 

Until recently only surface mail (ship) could be sent. Just checked on the Thai post site and found info that was updated on June 2nd that shows EMS parcel post by air is possible. See page 2 here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OGkBLRXkgaOuA-x2N-I2fLe0faBrUXeu/view

I assume by July there might be more options.

 

[Trillian 1,089]

11 hours ago, Trillian said:

Thanks you for that, is the form you posted the latest version and will SSA accept a printed copy rather than the orginal they send?

Bump....please.

[Migz 14]

I recently emailed ACA (Americans Citizens Abroad) regarding Form 7162 for 2020 and the problems receiving and sending it back.  This is the response I got from them.

====================================

Jun 5 at 2:56 AM

PrintRaw message

Americans Citizens Abroad <[email protected]>

To: [email protected] <[email protected]>

Cc: Americans Citizens Abroad <[email protected]>

Thank you for contacting ACA.

 

ACA has heard form contacts at the Social Security Administration that they are not enforcing suspension of benefits due to failure of filing Form 7162 for 2020.

 

ACA suggests you check back to the Social Security website for more updates on this.  www.ssa.gov.

 

 

Marylouise Serrato

ACA Executive Director

Washington, D.C., London, Geneva

[email protected]rg

+1 202 322 8441

 

=================================================

 

 

[rumak 7,331]

from google:

The form is mailed after May 15^th and a follow-up letter is mailed after September 15^th. If the completed form is not received in Wilkes-Barre, PA by the end of the year, benefits are suspended beginning with the February payment of the following year.

To avoid the suspension of your benefits, complete the form as soon as you receive it, and mail it back to Wilkes-Barre, PA using the enclosed business reply envelope. Do not submit the completed form to the Federal Benefits Unit in Manila or to a U.S. Embassy/Consulate.

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive the form by NOVEMBER, contact SSA Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in U.S. Embassy in Manila right away.

[khwaibah 8,155]

On 6/1/2020 at 9:55 AM, ubonjoe said:

Mail seems to be taking a while to get here. I plan on waiting until mid July for it.

The office in Manila has said you can email the form to them if you cannot mail it back. 

If no form by July I will download one, complete it an email it to them.

The forum has to be signed. Is Manila accepting a pdf format?

[Rdrokit 973]

3 hours ago, Trillian said:

Bump....please.

Yes they will except a non original form and you can email it to Manila. I have done this for Thai widows of US veterans. Many of the women do not read English and throw out the original form. Then when they stop getting checks they give me a call.

[pmarlin 925]

15 hours ago, Trillian said:

Thanks you for that, is the form you posted the latest version and will SSA accept a printed copy rather than the orginal they send?

It's the same as 2019 that was sent to me but for this year don't know.

[Rdrokit 973]

13 minutes ago, pmarlin said:

It's the same as 2019 that was sent to me but for this year don't know.

Been the same questions on the form for as long as I can remember.

[khaepmu 29]

Last year, after I receiving  my 7162 and completing the form I was unable to use the return envelope with their address SS included. The glue or paste stuck and I could not unseal it despite trying to steam it open. I used a normal envelope and sent my form back to them. In October or maybe a bit later, I got another 7162 and they informed me that they never received the first 7162 they had sent me and that if they didn't received this most recent 7162 that I had just received, they would cancel my SS payments. So I then sent the form back registerd mail, about 100 Baht. They must have got it because I get my monthly dayments. 

[cusanus 153]

It's taken over two months to receive mail from the US, plus you can NOT use the PO Box on the return form, so you're screwed both ways for getting the original bar code form back in time. So... as I've done for others in prior years, I sent a downloaded form via EMS at the Post Office (no word when regular mail will resume). I did this also on behalf of two others. They've never received one in prior years, but I have, so I could have pasted the bar code from last year, but didn't because I'm not sure what's on it. We split the 880 baht cost of an EMS package three ways. Now, we can also hope that Migz's message is correct, that SS will not enforce suspension of benefits for lack of a 7162 this year, anyway. If you do send one EMS, you can't use the PO Box (I don't think), so I believe this will get there (there are many different addresses out there, many do not work): 

 

Social Security Administration
Wilkes Barre Data Operations Center
ATTN: FEQ Analyst, FEQ Forms 7161-7162
1150 E. Mountain Dr. Room 341
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702-7997

 

There's also an email address which I've used in past years that no longer works, also a fax number. I've not tried that one yet, but it is 506-2291-1032. If it works or not, let us know (oh wait, I don't think it's a valid number, extra digit).  Finally, come November you could call Manila to see if you're good and if not ask them how to fix things, send them the form filled out, with or without the bar code if that's what they want.  It's a legit concern, there are many whose benefits get suspended, even those who sent in forms with or without bar codes (there's a remark field on the 2nd page where you can address these issues as we did). Good luck, all.

Edited June 14, 2020 by cusanus