QUESTIONS ARE OFTEN ASKED ABOUT SS DIRECT DEPOSIT
Anthony Renzoni
Connecticut Post, CT
Article created: 09/18/2006 08:37:35 AM EDT
Our office receives many inquiries about various Social Security
concerns. Following are examples of questions we are asked on a
regular basis.
Q: My wife and I both receive Social Security benefit payments. Can our
checks be deposited in different banks? A.: Yes. You can use direct
deposit at any federally insured bank, savings and loan institution,
or credit union. Even if your wife is getting spouse benefits on your
record, the two of you may have your checks deposited into separate
accounts at different banks. If you transfer your account to another
bank, call SS toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 and ask to change your
direct deposit information. For an online guide to direct deposit
of your benefits, visit Q.: I am
an American citizen who is ready to retire and I’d like to move to
Ireland to live. Can I get my Social Security check abroad?
A.: Generally speaking, if you are an American citizen, you can receive
your Social Security payments in most countries outside the U.S.,
including Ireland.
Because delivery time varies from country to country, and your check
may not arrive the same day each month, Social Security strongly
encourages everyone to have his/her Social Security payment deposited
directly into a bank account where available. For more information,
as well as to see the limited number of countries where we cannot
send payments, visit or call
Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask for
the publication, "Your Payments While You Are Outside the United
States." Multilanguage services
Social Security recently announced an expansion of
the Multilanguage Gateway on the Internet. Visitors to
will now find an additional 30
Social Security program publications.
These online publications provide detailed and useful information
about Social Security retirement, disability and survivor
benefits, the Supplemental Security Income program and the Social
Security card and number in 15 languages. The languages are:
Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, French, Greek, Haitian-Creole,
Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and
Vietnamese. The Spanish language page, "Seguro Social en Espanol"
at , is even more extensive, offering
more than 65 publications in Spanish, as well as benefit calculators,
press releases and frequently asked questions. Anthony Renzoni is
district manager of the Bridgeport office of the Social Security
Administration. His column appears every Monday.