United States Social Security Administration

    Why are they sending me snail mail?
Yes, I know that my SS stipend increased by 3.2%. I already received the increase.

Fortunately they are continuing to pay me. I was afraid that they might think me dead.

Who would design a payment system dependent on a foreign postal system? 🤔

Alan
   

    -@alan279

Several Federal Agencies have a decent deal on bulk rates, so much so they have to keep the USPS busy.

Besides, it's the US Congress' fault the USPS can't increase their small parcel rates up to par with FEDEX and UPS, where the real money is.   The USPS loses money in every shipment as result of such .  They are in a straight jacket,. thanks to your Congressman.  Every year, the Congress has to allocate funds to the USPS to make up the shortfall.

Lastly, your retired Postal Worker has a decently funded pension  ( correct me if I am wrong, the funding has to be, by law, at 4:1 , no other agency can match this ).  Up to a certain number of years, every USPS job was union backed.

These days, they using temping a lot. And they are shutting down branches based upon volume mandates.

So, your incoming mail keeps the USPS working, and its pensioneers collecting their checks. Be thankfull for that

 

Who would design a payment system dependent on a foreign postal system? 🤔

Alan
   

    -@alan279

"Kanaduh" would.........

We have a private pension up here from my wife's employer (a provincial government agency no less) that we are activating in 3 months.

They do not do direct deposit anywhere, except in a Canadian bank. Otherwise, they said they can mail us a cheque.

To Brasil.

That arrives two months later.

So, we will maintain a bank account in Canada and transfer with Wise, Xe, Sendwave, etc........

   01/28/24 Why are they sending me snail mail?Yes, I know that my SS stipend increased by 3.2%. I already received the increase.Fortunately they are continuing to pay me. I was afraid that they might think me dead.Who would design a payment system dependent on a foreign postal system? 🤔Alan        -@alan279

You must be talking about the Proof of Life, because you can order regular notices paperless.  But yes, they insist on receiving the Proof of Life by mail in Wilkes-Barre, and even warn you not to send it Registered.  Crazy!

01/28/24 @Gasparzinho 777.  Believe it or not, aside from the occasional craziness like Proof of Life by mail, American expats are treated better by the Social Security Administration than recipients in the US are.  Services for people living abroad have been regionalized, mostly by geography, except for us.  We're in a virtual region for all the Portuguese-speaking countries in the world, that operates out of the Federal Benefits Unit in the US Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal.  They have special phone hours for clients in Brazil, and respond to requests and inquiries really fast.  Benefits can be deposited anywhere we want.

Our federal government pension can be deposited anywhere as well.

Pretty much everything here is done online now. You rarely have to interact with a human anymore at the national level.

   
Fortunately they are continuing to pay me. I was afraid that they might think me dead.
 

    -@alan279

Maybe they thought you were in Jail.  Actually, I have to go by the Soc. Sec. office on my trip to

the USA, so if there is anything you want to ask them let me know.

Roddie in Retirement

       Fortunately they are continuing to pay me. I was afraid that they might think me dead.      -@alan279

Maybe they thought you were in Jail. 

Can you have social security payments deposited directly into a Brazil bank account? If you do that, arent you at the mercy of whatever exchange rate the bank decides to give you? Do you make out better if you use Wise or another transfer service when the rate is favorable? Thanks!

02/21/24   Can you have social security payments deposited directly into a Brazil bank account? If you do that, arent you at the mercy of whatever exchange rate the bank decides to give you? Do you make out better if you use Wise or another transfer service when the rate is favorable? Thanks!
   

    -@sjpetzold

Yes, you can, as long as you don't mind having your whole benefit converted to Reais every month.  Recipients serviced by the FBU--Lisbon all receive their benefits on the 3rd of the month, so you get whatever the rate is that day.  Banco Central regulations require Brazilian banks to provide a market exchange rate, so the rate's never too bad.  In my experience it's generally a little lower than Wise's "Mid-Market Rate", but once you factor in Wise's fee, it's more or less a wash.