Social Security Benefits

[tsap seui]

I hear ya Andrew, and Credzba's thoughts. I've read of and seen th e photos of a few get togethers the California guys had with their wives same with the Texas guys. Never seen one on the right coast...lol Anytime I go anywhere here I think of who I'd like to meet that lives in that city. Like Sam, I'd love to meet Sam and his wife in or near NYC (now Feathers lives there too) for a few laughs. Now if we went to Niagra Falls I'd like to meet Dan and his wife (I can sale NYC easily enough to momma-san but I haven't figured out a way to explain to her about driving a few hours to watch water fall over a cliff, much less get a hotel room and stick around.....although in the coming years that will work out where we'll most likely take the hike up there.)

I'm open (and hopefully can talk momma-san into it too) for anything in the DC/Baltimore/Northern VA area, but with older, frail in-laws most of our traveling is stuck going to China. Hopeful, when PreZiDent Zhang is in university in 2015 we are going ot be more open to travel when he is in school. I really want ot make another trip in a September back to Vegas...got lots of friends from an indistry I used ot be heavily involved in and they have a convention there in September, as well I have some friends I met during the visa journey that would come out from their left coast states for a pow-wow in sin city. All in time, I guess. We really can't even justify going back down to Australia or New Zealand until the boy is in school, as the summer vacations are all to China to see ma and ba.

Another idea I really see as important inside this thread is the tought of what happens to our familys if and when we should pass on to the big party up yonder???

With bobby's untimely passin' it REALLY struck a never with me, and my family was years away from even coming here. It has been on my mind, and back a long time now. I am finally lining up everything I can to make things easy for my mail order bride and son.

We went ot the SSA office today on some matters with my son recieving some of my SSDI benefits....it looks like he can get half of them up until he's 18....I never knew this until I read about it on a veterans website. I asked hte lady questions about me passing aaway and what my wife could expect, or need to do. I'm in hte process of chasing down answers for SSA information on this, as well as VA information....it is VERY COMPLICATED to say the least. Even the SS women I talked ot today couldn't give me many answers about a spouse with a greencard. We have an appointment on the 31st of Jan about our son's benefits from my SSDI AND to get down to the bottom line about Wenyan's benefits should I pass away.

This is highly critical stuff to me and in the next two months I'm getting the answers and will have EVERYTHING written down for Wenyan....procedures to do in what order, who to call, and their phone numbers, etc etc etc etc. Nothing is straightforward, no one person seems to have a direct answer, even for their own agency.

Does anyone here have anything like that? Does your Chinese wife have a clue what to do? Bobby truly put the fear of God in me for my family's well being should I do like him and pass away suddenly.

Candle sprung up out of the blackhole for a place to help others get their familys over here. Yes, most folks dump Candle when their women or men get here, maybe come back for a brief time to ask questions about removal of conditions or citizenship. Well Mr. what if your butt drops before your wife becomes a citizen or whatever? My wife has told me of 3 or 4 women she has seen on 101 whose husbands died and they are scared to death with no clue of what to do.

Unless I get myself banned, or Candle moves into another direction, I plan on sticking around and helping others, and laughing with friends or soon to be friends.

It seems like a good bunch of us are in their 50's and 60's here, and believe it or not, folks even younger die too. Usually quickly. Everybody got their family set up if it happens to you? I wonder what Bobby would tell us if he could step back and talk to us? Am I the only one with no knowledge , and no plan?

I don't know...Carl, do you think it is much trouble to maybe put in a sub-forum (Dead Candle or Lights Out or something) tied in with another forum that would address this issue? Maybe it's not such a hot idea and everybody is set anyhow??? I just know that Bobby's passing woke me up, and since I am in the middle of putting together a kitchen sink for Wenyan to do....maybe I am too high on my horse by suggesting it.

At any rate, I need answers NOW and I need specific answers for a wife and son with greencards...and I AM in the process of hanging out with my local SSA office as well as the VA and getting them for us. Be happy to help any others once I get definate answers, forum or not. Only problem is boys, once yore dead, you ain't gonna be able to ask me or anyone else....OPPPS Know wudda mean?

As you can see, I'm just starting to get some answers and put together a procedures list for Wenyan, it's complicated as hell to me, and lots of stuff for Wenyan to do should I kick the piss pot for the last time.

Something I have found and what was told to Wenyan by a Chinese man who had immigrated to America but was sitting next to Wenyan in the waiting room as we waited for her physical. He told Wenyan.....

"American people have many benefits, but most of them don't know what all they have, nor are they even aware of most of them."

I would have denied that until the day I died but I found out I fit into that observation like a finger in a soft leather glove. By my own ignorance of the SS code and the VA code I have found personally that that is one of the truest things I ever heard.

Good luck yawl. Don't bring your beloved family here and leave them in a world of hurt if your number gits punched out of the blue.

tsap seui

Old dawg must
learn new tricks

[Randy W]

My understanding of SS benefits is that your wife, as a green card holder, is entitled to the same spousal benefits that an American citizen would, as long as she resides in the U.S.

 

Q: Will my foreign (NRA) spouse/child receive survivor/dependent benefits from my Social Security while living abroad?

A: This depends on several factors. Generally, your NRA spouse can receive survivor benefits if he/she is a citizen of a specific country, or resides in a country with which the US has a social security agreement, or she/he has lived in the US for at least five years while your family relationship existed. There are a few other exceptions. Failing that, he or she would not receive Social Security payments based on your earnings. For full details see Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States, or contact the Federal Benefits Unit serving your area.

 

NRA stands for Non-resident alien, and China is NOT one of those countries.

 

Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States

http://www.ssa.gov/multilanguage/10146-GM.pdf

 

Payments Abroad Screening Tool,

Edited January 3, 2013 by Randy W (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

Sorry I mentioned a sub-forum. Shucks, it looks like our wimmin can't collect anything until age 60 and that is at a reduced rate from SS. Heck, most of em will already be back in Chiner for afew years before they hit 60. But, as Randy showed, they can still collect, if they want ot come back and put in the paperwork.

 

Just do yore best and line up someone to help them like Credzba is. Now with you vets on service conected disabilities, I think they can collect half you bene starting immediately, and if you have been married so many years.

 

I'm gonna continue my quest and will report on what I find. Anyone with any knowledge please post your findings.

 

tsap seui

[Randy W]

Sorry I mentioned a sub-forum. Shucks, it looks like our wimmin can't collect anything until age 60 and that is at a reduced rate from SS. Heck, most of em will already be back in Chiner for afew years before they hit 60. But, as Randy showed, they can still collect, if they want ot come back and put in the paperwork.

 

Just do yore best and line up someone to help them like Credzba is. Now with you vets on service conected disabilities, I think they can collect half you bene starting immediately, and if you have been married so many years.

 

I'm gonna continue my quest and will report on what I find. Anyone with any knowledge please post your findings.

 

tsap seui

 

The paperwork can be filed online, but I think a visit to a consulate is required.

[Urkidding]

Most of you are nearing or already reached your retirement age and can start drawing on your Social Security benefits. Some of you will put it off and continue to work until you die!

 

But we all really understand the benefits for our new wives? Have you looked into it throughly and planned your early retirement or just said "I'll wait until it comes to me".

 

Wel, you may me be shocked to learn a few things especially what benefits are available to YOUR EX-SPOUSE!

 

Read on:

 

If you are divorced, your ex-spouse can receive benefits based on your record (even if you have remarried) if:

• Your marriage lasted 10 years or longer;
  
• Your ex-spouse is unmarried;
  
• Your ex-spouse is age 62 or older;
  
• The benefit that your ex-spouse is entitled to receive based on his or her own work is less than the benefit he or she would receive based on your work; and
  
• You are entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits.
  If you have not applied for retirement benefits, but can qualify for them, your ex-spouse can receive benefits on your record if you have been divorced for at least two years.
  

If your divorced spouse remarries, he or she generally cannot collect benefits on your record unless their later marriage ends (whether by death, divorce or annulment).

If your divorced spouse is eligible for retirement benefits on his or her own record we will pay that amount first. But if

• the benefit on your record is a higher amount, he or she will get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount (reduced for age).
  
• your divorced spouse has reached <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/retirechart.htm">full retirement age and is eligible for a spouse's benefit and his or her own retirement benefit, he or she has a choice.
  Your divorced spouse can choose to receive only the divorced spouse's benefits when he or she applies online and delay receiving retirement benefits until a later date. If retirement benefits are delayed, a higher benefit may be received at a later date based on the effect of delayed retirement credits.
  

If your former spouse

• continues to work while receiving benefits, the same earnings limits apply to him or her as apply to you. If he or she is eligible for benefits this year and is also working, you can use our earnings test calculator to see how those earnings would affect those benefit payments.
  
• will also receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security, such as government or foreign work, his or her Social Security benefit on your record may be affected.
  

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[Beachey]

Yes but my understanding is this has no effect on what benefits you receive. I realize some divorces are very nasty but I have no issue with this law.

[Fu Lai]

I am married and living in China. My wife and I have no plans to go to the USA. If I die will she receive my SSA benefits? If so, good; if not then how can I have her be the beneficiary? TIA

[tsap seui]

Unfortunately, your Uncle Sammy doesn't care to hand out survivor benefit dollars to someone who never lived in his country.

 

Your wife has to have lived in the states, and been your wife for at least five years to be eligible to apply for your SS survivor, or for that matter, regular, benefits. No way around that. She doesn't have to be a US citizen, just to have lived there as a LPR in a marriage to you for at least 5 years.

 

If she met that requirement and you passed on, then she would have to wait until she was 60 (the earliest she could apply)to apply for your SS survivor benefits. If she applied for your SS at age 60 she would be able to recieve reduced benefits (71.5% of your total allowed benefit). To get 100% of your allowed benefit she would have to wait until almost 67 to apply (if she was born in 1960, or later).

 

Anyone wanting to see the dynamics what our wives will have to decide:

An example of that 7 year (age 60 to age 67) wait to apply for survivor benefits breaks down like this.

 

Say your SS award is $2,000.00 per month.

Applying at age 60 your wife would be locked in at this amount and get $1,430.00 per month for the rest of her life.

If she waits until her full retirement age of 67 she would recieve the full $2,000.00. per month.

The difference of starting at age 60 would be $570.00 each month which totals $6,840 per year, the difference between 71.5% and 100%

 

Your wife could choose to take nothing at age 60 and wait 7 years to get the full bene of $2,000.00 per month for the rest of her life. The price of waiting 7 years would total $47,880.

 

I'm not sure how many wives would take nothing for 7 years. I don't expect many of them would be sitting on their hands and waiting for 7 years.

Edited January 5, 2013 by tsap seui (see edit history)

[Doug]

I havn't had an ex last 10 years with me. now that says something...

[tsap seui]

I just found this in my studies.....

 

If you are not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident, federal income taxes will be withheld from your benefits. The tax is 30 percent of 85 percent of your benefit amount.

 

That is from the tax section of the SSA pamplet about survivors benefits. As I read it, this means if you died and your wife took off to go back to live in China, let her green card expire, and is collecting survivor benefits on your SS, she is gonna be paying some taxes.

 

Lets take a look at this, again, for simplicity we'll use a rate of $2,000 per month for her survivor benefits amount.

Monthly survivor benefits of $2,000 equals $24,000 per year. Eighty-five percent of $24,000 is $20,400. Thirty percent of that equals a tax of $6,120 that will be withheld from your lil' blushing bride's SS survivors benefit each year. Thus giving her a grand total of a whopping $17,880 yearly benefit out of the original $24,000 yearly amount you had been awarded.....and thought she would get when you escaped the IRS's surely bonds and went to meet your maker.

 

 

Boyz, yore lil' lady may run back to Chinertucky when you expire, but if she lets that green card expire she ain't gonna be able to convert quite as many yankee dollars into Chairman Moe's as you or I thought they would. Then again, SS isn't really a retirement income of any sort anyhow, it's just a helping hand.

 

 

All food for thought on death, taxes, wives happiness, and the price of condoms I reckon....

 

 

 

Andrew, I am so happy you opened up this thread. We can hash over retirement thoughts and survivor benefits options for these tiny hiney wimmin's we stole from Chairman Moe's clammy skinbare grip.

 

 

tsap seui

[Randy W]

I just found this in my studies.....

 

If you are not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident, federal income taxes will be withheld from your benefits. The tax is 30 percent of 85 percent of your benefit amount.

 

That is from the tax section of the SSA pamplet about survivors benefits. As I read it, this means if you died and your wife took off to go back to live in China, let her green card expire, and is collecting survivor benefits on your SS, she is gonna be paying some taxes.

 

Lets take a look at this, again, for simplicity we'll use a rate of $2,000 per month for her survivor benefits amount.

Monthly survivor benefits of $2,000 equals $24,000 per year. Eighty-five percent of $24,000 is $20,400. Thirty percent of that equals a tax of $6,120 that will be withheld from your lil' blushing bride's SS survivors benefit each year. Thus giving her a grand total of a whopping $17,880 yearly benefit out of the original $24,000 yearly amount you had been awarded.....and thought she would get when you escaped the IRS's surely bonds and went to meet your maker.

 

 

Boyz, yore lil' lady may run back to Chinertucky when you expire, but if she lets that green card expire she ain't gonna be able to convert quite as many yankee dollars into Chairman Moe's as you or I thought they would. Then again, SS isn't really a retirement income of any sort anyhow, it's just a helping hand.

 

 

All food for thought on death, taxes, wives happiness, and the price of condoms I reckon....

 

 

 

Andrew, I am so happy you opened up this thread. We can hash over retirement thoughts and survivor benefits options for these tiny hiney wimmin's we stole from Chairman Moe's clammy skinbare grip.

 

 

tsap seui

 

Social Security benefits are taxed using a very different formula - see the Social Security Benefits Worksheet in the F1040 instructions - making it very likely that she would be able to get the entire withholding amount refunded. Of course, that means she'll have to file an income tax return to be able to get that refund.

 

A $6120 refund check every April 15 (by tsap's figures) I'm sure would be a nice little benefit.

[Randy W]

You (or she) may wish to provide for an American bank account in her name only. The Social Security checks and tax refunds can be deposited electronically directly to this account. With a Bank of America account, she could then withdraw the money at a China Construction Bank ATM.

 

If I'm remembering correctly, she would otherwise have to travel to a consulate to pick up the checks.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

One other issue is that she'll have to make periodic trips to her consulate anyway - even American citizens have to do this. I'll be making a trip myself late this year to activate my payments. After that, I think I just have to show my face there once a year (as I expect she will) to keep the payments coming.

[Randy W]

Sorry I mentioned a sub-forum. Shucks, it looks like our wimmin can't collect anything until age 60 and that is at a reduced rate from SS. Heck, most of em will already be back in Chiner for afew years before they hit 60. But, as Randy showed, they can still collect, if they want ot come back and put in the paperwork.

 

Just do yore best and line up someone to help them like Credzba is. Now with you vets on service conected disabilities, I think they can collect half you bene starting immediately, and if you have been married so many years.

 

I'm gonna continue my quest and will report on what I find. Anyone with any knowledge please post your findings.

 

tsap seui

 

The paperwork can be filed online, but I think a visit to a consulate is required.

 

She MAY not be able to initiate benefits if she's already living abroad when she becomes eligible. It's hard to nail down specifics on something like this when they don't address it directly. The Payments Abroad Screening tool may imply that she needs to be living in the U.S. and ALREADY drawing benefits BEFORE she moves abroad, even if she already has the 5 years of marriage under your belt (unless she became an American citizen, of course).

Edited January 5, 2013 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Answer is Yes -

RS 02610.030 5 Year Residency Requirements for Spouses, Natural Child, Adopted Child, and a Parent

 

1. When the Residency Requirement is Met

 

An alien entitled to benefits as a spouse, widow/widower, divorced spouse, surviving divorced spouse, or surviving divorced mother or father must meet the following requirement:

• The alien must have resided in the U.S. for 5 or more years, and
  
• The alien must have been in a spousal relationship with the person on whose earnings record the entitlement is based for 5 or more years.
  

2. Period of Residency

 

The 5 year period of residence:

• Does not have to be continuous;
  
• Nor does the same spousal relationship need to have existed for the entire period. An alien could have one, two or more of the spousal relationships to the NH during the U.S. residence. For example, the period as the spouse of the NH and a period as the widow/widower of the NH can be combined for the 5 year relationship.
  

B. Examples -- 5 Year Period of Residency

1. A and B are citizens of Indonesia. A has lived in the U.S. for 10 years. A and B became entitled to benefits in January 2004 and then moved to Indonesia.
   B resided in the U.S. for 5 years while she was married to the NH.
   A meets the alien exception code of 3 (lived in the U.S. for ten years) and B meets the 5 year residency requirement.
   Payments can be paid indefinitely to B while she is living outside the U.S. in Indonesia
   

 

B in example 1 is a spouse who had previously lived in the US for 5 years while married to an NH (Number Holder) - B meets the 5 year residency requirement.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Randy W (see edit history)