OnMyWay Posted July 8, 2017 Posted July 8, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Gratefuled said: Yes, but only by marriage to his mother. In the states, he will need SS number for benefits when I die. Is your wife eligible for your SS benefits? I don't think your stepchild will qualify unless she does. I hope I am wrong because I have a step-child too. Your wife, as a "foreign spouse", will need to live in the U.S. for 5 years before she qualifies to get benefits from your account. I can find validation of the foreign spouse rules but I can't find anything that specifically says a foreign stepchild is not eligible for a benefit. It would be strange if the stepchild could get a benefit, but not the wife. Edited July 8, 2017 by OnMyWay 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratefuled Posted July 8, 2017 Posted July 8, 2017 4 minutes ago, OnMyWay said: Is your wife eligible for your SS benefits? I don't think your stepchild will qualify unless she does. I hope I am wrong because I have a step-child too. Your wife, as a "foreign spouse", will need to live in the U.S. for 5 years before she qualifies to get benefits from your account. I can find validation of the foreign spouse rules but I can't find anything that specifically says a foreign stepchild is not eligible for a benefit. It would be strange if the stepchild could get a benefit, but not the wife. She will be eligible eventually. First things first. Gotta get her there and go from there. Stepson will be a young adult by then so I don't know if he will be eligible. I have adequate life insurance and substantial income and savings. My family will provide where necessary. We are all very close. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbago Posted July 8, 2017 Posted July 8, 2017 14 minutes ago, Gratefuled said: She will be eligible eventually. First things first. Gotta get her there and go from there. Stepson will be a young adult by then so I don't know if he will be eligible. I have adequate life insurance and substantial income and savings. My family will provide where necessary. We are all very close. Do you have a will made out in USA detailing your wishes authorized by a lawyer? Is your wife the beneficiary in your life insurance apart from the will? Do you have a trust set up for the child if needed? Families that were close before a death sometimes are not close after the death. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratefuled Posted July 8, 2017 Posted July 8, 2017 6 minutes ago, jpbago said: Do you have a will made out in USA detailing your wishes authorized by a lawyer? Is your wife the beneficiary in your life insurance apart from the will? Do you have a trust set up for the child if needed? Families that were close before a death sometimes are not close after the death. Good point. Yes, I'm speaking about my 3 sons. We are very close. All is taken care of as of now here in the PI. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intrepid Posted July 8, 2017 Posted July 8, 2017 3 hours ago, OnMyWay said: I can find validation of the foreign spouse rules but I can't find anything that specifically says a foreign stepchild is not eligible for a benefit. It would be strange if the stepchild could get a benefit, but not the wife. I researched this once a while back and cannot locate now. But from my slow memory, it seems I remember the child has to be legally adopted and also a resident of the US for the same five years. The adoption could take place in the Philippines where it would be much cheaper than the US legal system but may take longer. This I am not sure about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpearl Posted July 8, 2017 Posted July 8, 2017 A great and informative post, great input/ideas and info, brings reality home on many fronts and differing situations, for me/us. I dearly need to get off my derriere to secure my wishes in the Philippines as well as in Australia so my families don't suffer or fight legal/government battles. If you love your family secure their future and negate the fights/anguish that could come after your passing. Frustrating and potentially expensive situations can be avoided by dotting the I's and crossing the Tee's, a wake up call for me that has a 25 year old will leaving everything to my ex wife even though we have been officially divorced for some 11 years. Maybe a little off topic to some but if you have a life/wife/progeny/commitments get your paper work in order and alleviate potential suffering by those you love. Cheers, Steve. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted July 10, 2017 Posted July 10, 2017 I was looking for information on the SS site and came across this "Benefit Finder" but I can't get it to work. Can someone else try it? I tried both Chrome and Edge. https://ssabest.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-finder#benefits&qc=cat_31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysRt Posted July 10, 2017 Posted July 10, 2017 25 minutes ago, OnMyWay said: I was looking for information on the SS site and came across this "Benefit Finder" but I can't get it to work. Can someone else try it? I tried both Chrome and Edge. https://ssabest.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-finder#benefits&qc=cat_31 The question area was blank for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpearl Posted July 10, 2017 Posted July 10, 2017 1 hour ago, AlwaysRt said: The question area was blank for me. Site appears to be inactive for me also. Cheers, Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted July 10, 2017 Posted July 10, 2017 1 hour ago, AlwaysRt said: The question area was blank for me. Same for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now