Checklist: Social Security

17. Social Security

• Checklist: Social Security
• 17.1 Understanding Social Security – Basic Definitions
• 17.2 Which Noncitizens Are Eligible to Receive Social Security Benefits?
• 17.3 What Should You Do if You Are Already Receiving Social Security Benefits Payments?
• 17.4 Are Immigrants Facing Deportation Eligible for Social Security Benefits?
• 17.5 My Social Security Benefits Have Been Suspended Since I Have Been in Detention, What Should I Do?
• 17.6 What Happens to Social Security Benefits If You Are Deported?
• 17.7 What Happens to Social Security Benefits If the Insured Worker is Deported but You Remain in the U.S.?
• 17.8 What Should Preparing and Supervised Immigrants Do Before Leaving the U.S.?

• Determine whether you are an Insured Worker. Insured Workers are any individual immigrants who have a Social Security Number and contribute to Social Security while working for U.S. employers or foreign affiliates under certain circumstances. Note that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Social Security benefits.
• If you are an Insured Worker or the dependent or survivor of an Insured Worker and you are eligible to receive Social Security Benefits, to obtain those Social Security Benefits, you must apply (at the website socialsecurity.gov or in person) with the following documentation and information:^[1]
  • Your SSN;
  • Your birth certificate;
  • Your W-2 forms or self-employment tax return for last year;
  • Your military discharge papers if you had military service;
  • Your spouse’s birth certificate and SSN if they are applying for Social Security Benefits;
  • Your children’s birth certificates and SSN, if you are applying on your children’s behalf;
  • Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful noncitizen status if you (or a spouse or child applying for Social Security Benefits) were not born in the U.S.; and
  • The name of your financial institution, the routing number, and your account number for direct deposit. If you don’t have an account at a financial institution, or prefer to do so, you can sign up to get your Social Security Benefits on a prepaid card.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Deportation of an immigrant Insured Worker or their dependents or survivors can affect Social Security Benefits.
• If you were an Insured Worker in the U.S. and received Social Security Benefits, your children and other dependents can continue receiving Social Security Benefits if they are U.S. citizens.
• If you were an Insured Worker in the U.S. and received Social Security Benefits and your dependents do not have legal status in the U.S., you and they should understand that they cannot receive Social Security Benefits for any month that they are outside the U.S. for any length of time.
• You will not be able to receive Social Security Benefits once the SSA is notified that you have been deported or removed. However, if you are lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence after being deported, any Social Security Benefits that were unpaid because of your deportation may be payable when you are readmitted.
• If you are an Insured Worker, a lump sum death payment cannot be made to your survivor on your record if you died after the SSA received notice of your removal and before you were thereafter lawfully admitted.
• If you receive Social Security Benefits as the dependent of an Insured Worker, and you are deported but the wage earner is not, the Insured Worker may continue to receive Social Security Benefits on your behalf (unless the Insured Worker is a noncitizen and leaves the U.S. for any part of a month, in which case the Insured Worker will not receive Social Security Benefits for that month), but you will not receive such Social Security Benefits directly.

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^[1] If you disagree with a decision made on your claim, you can appeal it.