Social Security Payments Were Suspended for Some Americans Abroad. Here's What to Know

The Social Security Administration has temporarily suspended the benefits of some of the 700,000 retirees that live outside of the U.S. If you were impacted by the suspension, there are steps you can take to remedy the problem.

Most retirees living abroad can count on the timely deposit of their Social Security benefits. However, for those who have failed to reply to a key administrative form that is sent out every one or two years, benefits have been suspended.

In order to keep the money flowing, retirees whose benefits have been suspended will need to complete a Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire, SSA-7162 form that is sent by the Social Security Administration approximately every one to two years.

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As some retirees have discovered, failure to return the completed form will lead to the temporary suspension of your benefits. Retirees living outside the U.S. can get their benefits restarted by contacting their embassy's Federal Benefits Unit to clear up the situation.

Whose benefits were suspended?

U.S. Embassies in several countries have sent out notices about suspended Social Security payments. These notices were sent to around 59,000 retirees who live in Mexico and about 2,000 in Costa Rica and Haiti, according to Newsweek. Other Embassies that posted notices on their websites to inform retirees of possible benefit suspensions include Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain and Andorra.

Each year some beneficiaries are required to complete Form SSA-7162 (if you receive your payments directly) or SSA-7161 (if you have a representative payee) to keep receiving their social security benefits when living outside the U.S. The purpose of the form is to ensure the SSA has the correct address and phone number on file and that circumstances that may affect payment have been reported.

How to get your benefits restarted

The process to remove the suspension of your benefits is pretty straightforward.

To start the process of reinstating your benefits, you must contact the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in the embassy of your host country by telephone or email. These are outposts located in U.S. embassies that provide services for the Social Security Administration. They are the primary point of contact for all Social Security related matters when you are abroad.

After the FBU receives your form or you have attested the form, benefits will be reinstated in approximately seven business days. If you contact the FBU by email, remember to include a telephone number where the FBU can contact you.

Questionnaire schedule for retirees

The SSA sends questionnaires to retirees and spouses receiving social security benefits outside the United States every year or every two years. If you do not receive your questionnaire when you are supposed to, you should contact the SSA or your FBU.

It is important that you or your representative payee complete, sign, date, and return the questionnaire to us in the envelope provided with the questionnaire as soon as possible. If you do not, your payments will stop.

How do you know when you are supposed to receive and remit the questionnaire? See the table below.

For those who are supposed to receive a questionnaire every two years, your social security number determines which year you receive a form. If you are supposed to receive a questionnaire every 2 years, the SSA will mail your form in even numbered years if the last 2 numbers of your Social Security number are 00 through 49, or odd numbered years, if the last 2 digits of your Social Security number are 50 through 99.

Bottom line

If you live abroad or plan on joining the crowds of American expats in Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal or Mexico, you have to pay close attention to your U.S.-based benefits and the necessary forms you need to maintain access to those funds.

Don't forget about access to your other retirement accounts. Managing disbursements from retirement plans based in the U.S. isn't merely a matter of getting to the nearest ATM. Read How To Manage Retirement Savings When Living Abroad to learn more about fluctuating exchange rates, foreign tax systems, and managing your accounts across multiple countries.

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