Important Update and Reminder

for U.S. Citizens living abroad and receiving Social Security Benefits 

Susan M. Cashin

 Find Previous Updates from Susan on Social Security, Links to the forms and additional SSA Contact Information HERE 

September - By now you should have received either SSA-7162 or SSA-7161 by mail from the Social Security Administration. If you have or have not, there is an easier and quicker way to complete this process. But first, a quick reminder of what are these forms are.

Form SSA-7162 is an annual “proof of life” questionnaire sent to U.S. Social Security beneficiaries living outside of the United States. Form SSA-7161 is used for a Social Security beneficiary who is unable to fill out a form on their own and must have assistance from a representative payee. Failure to fill out these forms and return them within the designated time frame will result in suspension of benefits.

For anyone unfamiliar with this form and its purpose see the details below.

Key Details About Form SSA-7162

• Purpose: It verifies that you are still alive, confirms your address and country of residence, and checks for any changes in your eligibility or work status abroad.
• Who Uses It: Social Security beneficiaries who receive payments in their own name while residing abroad. (Beneficiaries using a representative payee use Form SSA-7161 instead).
• Consequences of Not Submitting: If you fail to complete and return the form when requested, the Social Security Administration will typically suspend your benefit payments until the form is received and processed.
• Submitting the Form: You can download a printable version from the Social Security Administration website if you did not receive yours in the mail. Note that physical, handwritten signatures are required (digital or electronic signatures are generally not accepted), and the completed form must be submitted to your nearest Federal Benefits Unit or U.S. Embassy/Consulate handling SSA services or you can now comply via phone.

These forms are generally sent out starting in May and beneficiaries should have received them by now. Because South Africa generally runs on electronic communications rather than the postal service, it has been a common experience to not receive these forms or receive them too late to return in time to avoid suspension of benefits. 

**NEW OPTION TO ENSURE CONTINUOUS FLOW OF SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
There is now a much better way to ensure that your “proof of life” form has been documented and avoid the pitfalls. You can now call the U.S. Social Security Administration's International Operations office using the international toll-free line at 1-855-522-6936 (7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time). Note that you may be incur charges for this call by your mobile service provider.

My husband and I opted to use this recently offered service and were amazed at the ease in which this once onerous and worrisome task was completed. We placed the call at exactly 7:00AM Eastern Standard Time on a Monday morning. Our wait was less than 5 minutes in queue. The representative was courteous and extremely helpful throughout the attestation process – a process by which you authorize the SSA representative to sign your form for you and thus have your form acknowledged as received and registered with the Social Security Administration.

If you have not received your forms by now, it is highly recommended that you place a call, state that you have not received your SSA-7162 or SSA-7161 form. You’ll be glad you did and have one less thing to worry about.

Note: Download a copy of the form you need so that you can review ahead of time what information you will need to provide. It will help expedite the process.

And please be sure to thank the SSA representative for their help and your appreciation for all that our government civil servants do for us every day. Due to the current administration, they are working under extremely stressful conditions. They cannot and will not discuss politics so don’t go there. What they deserve to hear is how much we are grateful for their service and admire their dedication. 

Find Previous Updates from Susan on Social Security, Links to the forms and additional SSA Contact Information HERE