U.s. Social Security Child Benefits

[Jack Peterson]

16 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

  My wife has never lived in the U.S. so could not be part of an account there.  Correct me if I am wrong, as that would open up some interesting possibilities!

 Talking to a Long time Friend from the States this morning that is the case with him 

 

18 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

According to SS here in PH, the kids are living here so their SS has to be deposited where they live, with mommy as the custodian.

Again, this what he tells me  

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, roddavis said:

Thats interesting Cuz when I filed for SS benefits, our address was listed as living in Cebu, (wife,kid). But our bank account was in the US. Does wife have a soc sec number, also kids?. If so, then you can open an online bank account like USAA. I used my sisters address to mail ATM cards and such. I see you already have a US bank account. I would think you could just add thier names to your account

Where were you when you filed?  Was your wife a U.S. resident?  All the expats I know of who filed for their kids benefits through the U.S. Embassy in Manila had to follow their rules for bank deposits in the Philippines.  It is very strict and requires the personal appearance of the kids.

My kids are citizens and have SSNs.  My wife has an ITIN for tax purposes but has never lived in the U.S.  She does not meet the 5 year residency rule to get any benefits from my SS.

USAA would not open an account for me when I told them I lived in PH.

[roddavis]

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

Where were you when you filed?  Was your wife a U.S. resident?  All the expats I know of who filed for their kids benefits through the U.S. Embassy in Manila had to follow their rules for bank deposits in the Philippines.  It is very strict and requires the personal appearance of the kids.

My kids are citizens and have SSNs.  My wife has an ITIN for tax purposes but has never lived in the U.S.  She does not meet the 5 year residency rule to get any benefits from my SS.

USAA would not open an account for me when I told them I lived in PH.

Yes we were in Cebu was thru US Embassy SSA outreach program from Manila. Went thru the filing, they asked to see my son and Mom on Phils passport(not US citizen). Asked for Bank acct info. Nothing said about child/caregiver had to have a local bank acct. Guess it depends on who was taking all the info. And USAA requires a US address to open even if its a PO Box in the States. Like I said, use a relatives address in the States, then open an acct online with that address. Then use a VPN to login the bank so the VPN shows an IP address from the States. If you don't your Phils IP will show and you cannot login. 

[Arizona Kid]

22 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Just a tidbit for anyone who might need it...

My two girls started collecting SS benefits last November, when I did.  I have described some the processes of setting it up and setting up the banking, in other threads.  Both kids have their money direct deposited at BPI in passbook savings account.  My wife is listed on the accounts as Custodian, as required by SS.

We didn't touch their money until yesterday.  My 5 year old Katy stayed home with big sis while we went to the bank.  The three year old Leila fell asleep in the car on the way to the bank, so she and I stayed in the car.  After 5-10 minutes, I was startled by a knock on the window.  It was my wife and the bank teller!  BPI requires that they physically see the child for any type of withdrawal.  She peeked in at sleeping Leila and said ok, and they went back inside to finish the transaction.

My wife filled me in when she was finished.  She was not able to do Katy's withdrawal because she was not there.  The teller says they need to see them to make sure they are still alive, etc.!

As a side note,  one of the main purposes for withdrawing from the kids accounts is that I don't ever want them to reach $10,000.  If they reach $10,000, I will have to file an FBAR with the IRS, even though they are just little kids.  I put the dollars in my account and I have to file FBAR anyway.

Out of curiosity, why are your children eligible to tap into your social security benefits while you are obviously still alive? I was under the assumption that children would only get money after your death!    

[OnMyWay]

Just now, Arizona Kid said:

Out of curiosity, why are your children eligible to tap into your social security benefits while you are obviously still alive? I was under the assumption that children would only get money after your death!    

They are eligible for benefits when the parent starts benefits.  I started at age 62, so they started at the same time.

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, roddavis said:

Yes we were in Cebu was thru US Embassy SSA outreach program from Manila. Went thru the filing, they asked to see my son and Mom on Phils passport(not US citizen). Asked for Bank acct info. Nothing said about child/caregiver had to have a local bank acct. Guess it depends on who was taking all the info. And USAA requires a US address to open even if its a PO Box in the States. Like I said, use a relatives address in the States, then open an acct online with that address. Then use a VPN to login the bank so the VPN shows an IP address from the States. If you don't your Phils IP will show and you cannot login. 

That is very interesting.  I think what may have happened is that I never expressed interest in having the kids benefits deposited in the U.S., so after choosing that fork in the road, they just gave me the requirements to have them deposited in a PH bank.

However, it seems like they told me the kids had to be deposited in PH.  I might be wrong.

[Arizona Kid]

13 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

They are eligible for benefits when the parent starts benefits.  I started at age 62, so they started at the same time.

Are you on disability benefits or regular?

[OnMyWay]

2 minutes ago, Arizona Kid said:

Are you on disability benefits or regular?

Regular.  The benefit amounts for the kids are different on disability.