Direct deposit of social security check to a bank account in Cebu

Hello Arty, When i came from the states in April, i went to the Social Security office inside the US Embassy in Manila. They gave me a transfer  form that they partially fill out for you. They tell you to take it to your bank manager to complete. Only your bank can complete and they have to send it in to SS office  in Manila. They told me to have the bank give me a copy of the form completed and that i should send a copy in also if the bank screws up. About a week later i received a call from some employee at the SS office confirming i was the recipient of the form they received. They also send you a letter to your address stated on the form to acknowledge they approve the change to a  Philippine bank account. I was surprised i started receiving my SS funds the following month directly to my dollar account i had already set up at BPI. Here are a few facts i learned going through the transfer process. Once the approval goes through, you receive your funds on the 3rd of every month, regardless of when the previous date you received them in the states. Its better to open a dollar account with a Philippine bank first before you start the process. I opened with BPI because they suited me and had the lowest monthly fees.  BDO is to picky and demanding. BPI requires as all banks here do  you have a ACR  card to open account. You have to deposit and maintain a 100.00 US dollar balance. SS requires by law that  no  bank here can  issue you an ATM card for  your SS account. You have to go in, in person every month to pick up your funds to avoid any type of fraud. BPI charges me 7.50 per month for funds transfer from the states and 5.00 monthly maintenance fee. Your correct, the US has no agreement with the Phil. in regards to SS. I looked on MY SOCIAL ACCOUNT online and saw that the funds are deposited into  the New York Bank of Mellon. From there BPI acts like an agent for them and the transfer goes through to my account here. By the way, i was told, or read that SS has a satellite office in Cebu that might help you but all paperwork has to go through Manila SS office for approval. One last thing, make sure you have a permanent address and current phone # here. SS send you a letter at least once a year you have to fill out and send back to the states. They want to make sure your still alive. If not received back to them, they will stop depositing your funds until they receive the letter back to them. Here is an email i received from the Manila office with |FBU Manila <[email protected]>  Aug 26 at 11:12 AM
To   
Scott Schafer
Message body
Thank you for contacting the Federal Benefits Unit. We will respond to your inquiry within three (3) business days. Please do not follow-up on your inquiry unless you have not received a response after three (3) business days.

Apply Online for Benefits – it is fast and easy!
You can apply for the following benefits online:
1.     Retirement at http://www.ssa.gov/planners/about.htm
2.     Disability at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability
3.
     Medicare Only at http://www.ssa.gov/medicareonly

At this time, no other online services are available outside the United States.

The online hours of operation are:
·       Weekdays 5 AM - 1 AM Eastern Time (ET)
·       Saturday 5 AM - 11 PM ET
·       Sunday 8 AM - 11:30 PM ET
·       Holidays 5 AM - 1 AM ET

Sincerely,
Social Security Administration – Federal Benefits Unit

Embassy of the United States of America  |  Manila, Philippines
Tel: (+ 63 2) 301-2000 ext. 9  | Tel from Australia: 1- 800-750-030
http://manila.usembassy.gov

Find us online at www.ssa.gov
contact information. Good luck. ................................