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Direct Deposit of Social Security

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sumomaster2004
  7/22/2021 07:27 EST

Does anyone have SS direct deposited to a Philippine bank?
Im trying to apply for SS online but it doesnt list Philippines. How can i enter my bank. Info?

JimmyLewis
  7/22/2021 11:28 EST

Sumo-BPI has a Soc sec deposit for your monthly pension. . I opened mine when I landed in Cebu from Shanghai in 2012. Had it transferred to Baguio later when I decided to settle in Baguio. Just ask to speak with the bank manager and fill out a few forms. You will need at least your passport. I also suggest you open and BPI account online so you can check your monthly deposits. I also have an account at BDO and use that for my ATM withdrawals when I need cash. You can withdraw 200 USD per day BDO ATM. I use my BPI savings account to pay my utility bills online. When I get several thousand USD in my BPI account I transfer the majority to my USA bank. I always keep a few thou in my BPI account and same in my BDO. Bank accounts here are only insured for about 500k pesos or 10k USD.

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AussieMike
  7/22/2021 17:47 EST

I may be misunderstanding something what what you are saying but do you have your SS set up as a direct deposit to your US bank account? If, yes, then what is the problem? You still have access to your $$ online. If, no, then is there a reason why you have not set up a US bank account for this purpose? My SS has been sent to my US bank for years and, whenever needed, I just charge purchases to my bank account or withdraw on these funds. Simple but perhaps not for you for whatever reason - this I cannot understand.

billsmith
  7/22/2021 18:56 EST

The Social Security Administration will do direct monthly electronic deposits to BPI.

Tsmslf
  7/22/2021 20:44 EST

To BPI in the RP or only to a US based branch?

tombalita1
  7/22/2021 21:44 EST

Bill, to clarify your last post, do you need to have a dollar account at BPI or can SS be deposited into a peso account as well? Tom

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billsmith
  7/22/2021 21:55 EST

Philippine branches. No US bank account needed.

JimmyLewis
  7/23/2021 00:28 EST

Tom-Yes you need a dollar account at BPI. I don't know if BDO has a direct deposit. BPI also charges a fee for your deposit. I think it's about 15 or 17 USD a month. You can then convert the USD to pesos at the bank or go to a moneychanger, MC will give you a better rate. I just wait every 3 or 4 months and let the USD account build up and then withdraw USD(Leave about a grand in your soc sec account) Then I go to a money changer and convert to pesos and keep those hidden in my apartment or deposit them into my BDO pesos account. It's great for using the BDO ATM for cash when I need it.BDO has an ATM debit card that can also be used as cash for all your purchases in town or online. BDO ATMs are ubiquitous. Not many outside BPI ATMS here in Baguio.

billsmith
  7/23/2021 01:18 EST

tombalita1 ~

Dollar account. BPI can give you the SWIFT code, etc. to enter into the SSA website. They usually do the electronic transfers and deposits on the 4th of each month.

bbazor
  7/23/2021 01:31 EST

Mine is auto-deposited to a BDO account. I am not sure how many banks here can do that for you, but BDO and BPI can for sure.

sumomaster2004
  7/23/2021 01:34 EST

Thanks for all of your input. Landbank will do it for me and o just need a peso account. It converts the dollar automatically.

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bbazor
  7/23/2021 01:36 EST

I am charged about $4 or $5 a month transfer fee. I think it is $4.50.

billsmith
  7/23/2021 07:10 EST

Of course they will, at a very poor foreign currency exchange rate. Hahaha it's better to set up a dollar account and use a money changer for a better rate. A 2 peso per dollar difference amounts to 4,000 pesos per $2,000. Pretty significant. They don't advertise it, but banks are negotiable and capable of matching money changers rates if you push the issue.

surfingcebu
  7/23/2021 10:55 EST

Bill, good point. Exchange rates are very important… some vendors and banks rape expatriates. It’s best to find the reliable money exchanger . I mostly use Remitly now , then free pickup. Seems to work best for me . People have no idea how risky some banks are, especially the rural banks- so many stories.

billsmith
  7/23/2021 16:20 EST

Surf ~

Ahhhhhh.....EXCELLENT point about the risks of banking here, and one I haven't seen mentioned. Besides funds only being insured up to 500,000 pesos, my understanding is that nothing is paid back when bank goes belly up here, like the rural ones you mentioned. In addition to this, money is sometimes repatriated to bank employees pockets, inside jobs. This is probably why Filipinos don't leave money in banks for very long, in addition to the fact that they are not real big on saving money.

draks
  7/23/2021 19:22 EST

Personally I won't use a bank here, unless it's money in and taken out straight away. I lost £3000 with BDO and Metrobank. BDO was I am sure an inside job, Metrobank I think was a debit card used in a stand alone atm fraud. Neither returned any money to me, neither ever rang me with any information.. I lost the lot, so used world remit and send it here to my wife's account and withdraw it more or less straight away.
My wife has a remittance account with BDO, 120000 went out of her account and payment to meralco in Manila for 7000 php. Luckily we now have a good friend who got us the 120000 back, but the account was frozen for a long time. As o new card passwords etc, account opened we got notification on two laptops try to be paid for in Manila, plus again meralco taken out. The account is frozen again. This is I am sure an inside job. Banks here are terrible. Use a remittance company send to cebuana, Palawan mhullier get the cash.

surfingcebu
  7/23/2021 21:00 EST

I agree with Draks, personally I would never use a bank here wi the a balance greater than 4-5k pesos.
Remitly for pickup and my visa are my normal mode.

Even my pinoy friends in my motor club , that have lived over seas or have some education- DONT use a Pinoy bank for deposits - never !!! Too many weird things happen in pinoy banks .

It’s too bad really the bank system is fragile …. Trillions of minerals in the ground waiting to be discovered in mind sustainably, and people on top of the ground looking for a bowl of rice and maybe a Tylenol for a cousin. When on earth will the Philippines get their act together and start extracting wealth out of the country in a sustainable fashion.It’s serious people are starving.

billsmith
  7/23/2021 21:07 EST

draks ~

Yes, I never leave money in the bank here for more than one day. I got scammed out of a large amount of money by China Bank many years ago, an inside job. I just deposited a large sum of money to BPI with a letter from my US lawyer to avoid problems with AMLA. They released the money to me and then seized it when I redeposited it for guess what.....an AMLA investigation.

surfingcebu
  7/23/2021 21:10 EST

Bill, you make a good point about banks having insurance on accounts. In the west I would take some satisfaction in that, in the Republic, I would fall flat on my face if any money was paid out in a bank foreclosure. Believe me tons of real banks and level two banks who are the business all the time. People are left high and dry. Businesses are left high and dry.
My girlfriend had a fairly large deposit in Maybank.. I didn’t like the idea to begin with however she was offered a great rate to keep her deposit there, and I still didn’t like the idea of keeping that sort of money in a pinoy account. I level to bank. She was comfortable with the staff and so on. Something happened to her online banking account where she couldn’t get in there for the last six months from the west. Clue number one something happened. Clue number two was the bank manager wasn’t returning calls or emails. Clue number three someone had hijacked her sign on account. When finally after two months of trying to get into her account after not looking for it for six months,( months now of no account access) the account did not pay the promissory interest of 12% per annum. They say the account was in active therefore they don’t have to pay the 12%. However they have this massive some on deposit that they’re using, but they’re not willing to pay any interest on her money. An inside banker, pocketed the interest and now they won’t pay. I fired off a letter to a couple congressman and senator as well as the local Philippine national police force inspector. It ruffled some major feathers at the bank, but they say they’ll pay it back when I return to the country. This should be interesting. I don’t want to catch a bullet for trying to collect my girlfriends interest.

Stay away from RP banks …. Only a small deposit at best for identification purposes and for paying small bills. If you’re over 5 to 7000 pesos in the account, you’re running a risk of getting that absconded.

JimmyLewis
  7/24/2021 05:50 EST

I agree 100% Bill.!

JimmyLewis
  7/24/2021 05:56 EST

Unlike the banks in America banks here in PI just have the 10USD insurance. Surf made the suggestion a while back to just keep a few thousand USD in the Philippines bank. Good idea! Makes sense!

JimmyLewis
  7/24/2021 06:02 EST

Surf-Its either a lack of common sense or an I don't care attitude or both. Strange, different culture here.

JimmyLewis
  7/24/2021 06:28 EST

Bank safety-Reading these posts have me a little concerned. My bank in the states already charge me 17usd to trans money to them from the Philippines and BPI also charges me about the same. What's a SAFE place where I can transfer (about 10 grand USD)to America instead of using BPI I that has a lower rate. than BPI Please message me in private, Thanks-Jimmy

JimmyLewis
  7/24/2021 09:07 EST

correction on previous post-10k usd insurance and not 10usd.

gelynch52ph
  7/24/2021 11:54 EST

Nobody should ever get their SSA direct deposited in a Philippine bank. SSA requires that money be withdrawn in person and no ATM access permitted. That is an SSA requirement and nothing to do with Philippine banking law.

Any person living abroad has that same SSA requirement regardless of the country. I always had my SSA direct deposited in the US and then deposited/transferred to my BPI dollar account using XOOM. Today I would use WorldRemit to do the same thing because they are cheaper.

surfingcebu
  7/24/2021 12:24 EST

Bill , a friend of mine was scammed out of 997.00 USD . He deposited it in his RP bank. He knows the tellers and manager . He told then he was going state side for 3 months . When he came back , ZERO record of deposit . all covered up . HIs account number was even changed . Zero recourse ! PNP would not get involved with China bank..... wonder why ? Hmmmmm .

billsmith
  7/24/2021 17:56 EST

Surf ~

In my case the China Bank employee got away with well over ten times that amount. I wouldn't be surprised if the PNP doesn't do business with ANY Philippine banks.

mpedmon
  7/24/2021 22:04 EST

Hello, this was my contact in Manila that helped me this past winter to complete the process.
[email protected]
0287089705
Mr. Joel Ochoa is his name. Hope it helps.

TeeJay4103
  7/24/2021 22:56 EST

We've been doing business with a few BDO branches for many years now without incident, We do not use ATM cards here simply because we do not trust the machines or the people outside the banks who have access to them.

Scams abound here and email scams seem to be flourishing right now. I also get emails that are supposedly from my bank about someone buying a computer with my credit card (last one was in Quezon City). Other expats who use other banks also get the same kind of trash via email. We also get legitimate warnings from our bank regularly about avoiding these scams. I never respond to the fishy emails and just move them to a scam folder for awhile then deleting them after inquiring about their validity with the bank. None have been valid, just phishing scams.

A link to a list of RP banks accepting U.S. Social Security payments direct deposits and the requirements for opening the account.

https://www.banksphilippines.com/2014/04/direct-deposit-us-pensioner-philippines.html

Asawa
  7/26/2021 11:27 EST

I'm going to say a lot, and I think it's all important. I'm also going to define my terms to try to make it simple to read... if folks don't understand banking or bank technology. (Sorry).

The idea is to keep most of your money within your home country and make it accessible for use in the Philippines. If you are in the US focus on my references to ACH. If you are from a different country, replace that with SWIFT.

I believe it is safest and easiest to deposit into Philippine Banks that have an International Branch in some city back in your home country.

Think of intentional banks like: Wells Fargo, Citi, Bank of the Philippine Islands, BDO, Unibank, M Lhuilier, Metrobank, and Philippine National Bank. PNB (for example) has branches in New York and Chicago. The banks above tend to have branches in most major countries.

Using an International Bank lets you keep the bulk of your money in your home country and move money within your country. Because the bank has branches in both your country and the Philippines, your transfers show up and are available in the Philippines directly.

Bank accounts typically two parts. The first is an "Account Number" (your unique identity) and the 2nd is the Branch. The Branch is usually designated by a Unique Identifier. IN the US, that identifier is an ACH Number, and Internationally that unique identifier is a SWIFT id.

ACH (Account Clearing House) is an electronic monetary network for processing payments between two financial organizations. ACH transfer funds only within the United States.

SWIFT is an international money transfer network used by financial institutes and banking sectors to safely and rapidly send money from one bank account to another. SWIFT can send funds from one bank to another bank globally without having any cross border limitations.

Interestingly, if you send money to your (unique) Account Number at ANY BRANCH owned by that bank... it shows up in your Account balance.

Thus, if your international bank has a branch in the Philippines, you can do a local transfer within the borders of your country. Since it's going to your unique account, you can draw on that amount abroad (in the Philippines).

More importantly, you can also still get access from the international branch within your home country. This is important because some banks in the Philippines can hold your money hostage. If your international bank has a presence in your home country, you have a better chance of recovering/accessing your money if you leave the Philippines.

There are several mechanisms to move money using Account and ACH/SWIFT combinations.

The traditional way is an ACH or SWIFT Wire Transfer. At many banks, you can also setup "Bill Pay" to link to a ACH/Account combinations at another bank. I have also noticed that many US-based banks now allow you to setup "Linked Checking/Savings" accounts under their normal "Transfer" options. (Wells Fargo does this with 1-business day and 3-business day options).

Sending money this way looks like a simple Bank-to-Bank transfer within my own country.

However, when I transfer it within he USA, the funds also appear in my electronic Account Balance in the Philippines. Thus, I can immediately withdraw the money in the Philippines as if it was a remittance to that bank directly in the Philippines.

If you have a bank with an international presence, You can deposit money at any branch location for that bank -- in any country.

It sounds complicated, but it's easy to setup with one caveat. Many banks are subject to "Know thy customer" rules, so you often have to set these things up in person. Once in place, you can use them forever.

This gets into my second point of advice if you are going to be leaving your country for long periods of time.

Leave someone you trust with a Durable Power of Attorney (POA).

You can have someone in your home country establish new accounts if you them with a Durable Power of Attorney (POA) with someone you trust in the USA.

A POA grants someone you trust the ability to establish accounts or make binding agreements as if they were you. Legally, they are you. Whatever they do, they are doing as your agent.

If you leave a POA in your home country, you don't have to fly home every time you need to do something with insurance or a bank. Your agent (the POA delegate) can keep the document in a safe and only take it out when you need something done remotely in your home country.

If you are feeling kind, you can also give your agent a $50 gift card every time they do something to help.

Obviously, you MUST trust whoever holds your POA. They could rob you blind and leave you destitute. It wouldn't even be identity theft, because you've given them that legal right. (So, balance the convenience with the risk of using this tool!)

One other thought... my favorite bank is a Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking Account. You can set it up with as little as $1, and they give you an ATM Card that has zero ATM Fees or Exchange fees ANYWHERE in the world. It comes as a combo Brokerage Account and Money Market.

When you set a "Schwab One Brokerage Account", it comes automatically paired Charles Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking account. Charles Swab gives you a debit card to draw on your investments in over 200 countries with zero ($0) atm Fees. They are one of the only "No Fees/Exchange Rate" banks I've ever found:

https://www.schwab.com/checking/checking_account

If you ultimately decide to have a "Philippines Only Bank", I do not recommend keeping more than 3-6 months expenses in a "Philippines Only Branch". Should you ever leave, your money may be permanently stuck outside of the Philippines.

Banks in the Philippines make it very easy to remit money into the country, and reasonably easy to spend money while in the country. I find they make it excessively difficult (if not impossible) to withdraw many outside of transactions within the Philippines. If you can withdraw it, you will very likely have to be physically present in the Philippines at the time you attempt to take it out... and you will struggle to access large amounts from abroad.

If you bank with an international bank with branches in the Philippines... then you can get your many from any branch back in your own country.

If a bank only has branches in the Philippines, you'll have to play games to extract it. (Pro tip: You can sometimes convert your money to BitCoin or Crypto in the Philippines without being present, and then take your "Crypto Wallet" information to recover it in local currency as a work-around. )

As a general rule, consider all money movements into the Philippines a "One Way" transaction that must be spent in the Philippines. Thus, my 3-6 months of expenses (max) guidance.

-Asawa

Tsmslf
  7/26/2021 12:02 EST

Asawa

BRAVO!!!


Tsmslf

billsmith
  7/26/2021 18:29 EST

Asawa ~

Can a Charles Swab account be opened in the Philippines without having an account overseas?

Tsmslf
  7/26/2021 21:01 EST

It surprises me that PayPal hasn't even been mentioned by any poster in this thread. Is it that useless?

lancelotlinc
  7/26/2021 21:13 EST

Yes, Paypal is useless.

Fidelity is great as the exchange rates are better than market and they reimburse for ATM fees.

billsmith
  7/26/2021 22:14 EST

PayPal is worse than useless. They will seize your money with no reason and no explanation.

Tsmslf
  7/27/2021 11:14 EST

And what does PayPal do with your money it seized? Keep it or???

Asawa
  7/27/2021 17:20 EST

I've found that Paypal is only useful as a one-way remittance mechanism to bring money into a Philippines Ban.

You can trade PayPal Credits that are in your PayPal account, but the Paypal accounts registered in the Philippines make it very hard to load money from your bank acount.

At best, you can recieve PayPal money from others, move your existing credit to others, and transfer it to your Philppine Bank's Checking account. I have no idea how you can move money INTO your PayPal Account with the Philippines version.

If you registered your PayPal account abroad (and kept it), you have different options than accounts registered from within the Philippines.

As for Charles Schwab... I am unsure if you can register from abroad.

I registered online, and it was setup within about 15 minutes. If you use a VPN, I don't see why you couldn't. I don't recall the process or whether I had to upload a passport or drivers license image. The signup page is:

https://www.schwab.com/checking

Click "Open Checking Account".

If you are not yet in the Philippines, I think it's wise to have two bank accounts in your home country -- with mechanisims to move moeny between them. Any one bank could merge, go out of business, or change their remittance functionality (That will require you an inperson visit to fix).

I also recommend having 3 ways to transfer money from each of those to banks to a bank in the Philippines.

There are some things that are impossible to do (remotely in your home country) once you are in the Philippines. It's easiest to setup backups, contingencies, and redundant methods.

billsmith
  7/28/2021 01:56 EST

Tsmslf ~

My understanding is that PayPal can keep your money indefinitely per DHS/Patriot Act rules.

Eagle66
  7/28/2021 02:03 EST

Great information in this thread.
Thank you all

Question: is it a rule/law that foreigners wishing to retire in the Philippines have to maintain a certain amount in money in a Philippine bank and show proof of this upon entry?

Asawa
  7/28/2021 11:12 EST

Eagle...

The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) is a special non-immigrant visa for foreign nationals who would like to make the Philippines their second home or [!!!]investment destination[!!!].

As understand it, there are a number of SRR Visa Options with branded marketing flavors.

Option #1 -- SRRV SMILE

The "SMILE" option is For active/healthy retirees, who opt to maintain their SRR Visa deposit of US$20,000 in any of the PRA Accredited Banks.

Option #2 -- SRRV CLASSIC

The Classic option is For active/healthy retirees, who opt to use their SRR Visa deposit into active investment such as the purchase of condominium unit* or long term lease of house & lot. The SRR Visa deposit is as follows:

Classic Option [A]: 50 years old & above: $ 10,000 USD (with a us Pension in the amount of $800 USD for single / $1,000 UDS) for couple

Classic Option [B]: US$ 20,000.00 on deposit in Philippine Bank (without pension) and Age is 50+ years old

Classic Option [C]: $ 50,000 US on deposit in Philippine Bank) and Age is 35 to 49 years old

Those deposits can also be used for Housing (on properties which a foreigener can never really own and will eventually fall back into the hands of someone in the Philippines), but the [!!!]value of the property[!!!] must be at those $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000 levels.

HINT: It's not how much you spend on the property, it's the value of the property. So if you spend your $10,000 on a property that is ugly and unmarketable for an appraised value of $5,000.... you still need another $5,000 on deposit to get to $10,000 threshold!)

Option #3 -- SRRV HUMAN TOUCH

The SRRV Human Touch variant is for ailing and terminally ill retirees 35 years old and above, who need/require medical/clinical care. A monthly pension of at least $1,500 USD, a health insurance policy accepted in the Philippines, and an SRR Visa deposit of $10,000 USD are required.

Option #4 - SRRV COURTESY

The SRRV Courtesy Visa is for former Filipinos 35 years old and above. It's also for foreign nationals, 50 years oldand above, who are retired officers of International Organizations recognized by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

For these individuals an SRR Visa deposit of $1,500 USD is required.

Option #5 -- SRRV EXPANDED COURTESY (Military)

The SRRV Expanded courtesy visa is for foreign nationals, 50+ years old who are retired Armed Force officers of foreign countries with existing military ties and/or agreement with the Philippine Government.

A monthly pension of at least $1,000 USD and an SRR Visa deposit of $1,500 USD are required. The SRR Visa deposit includes the principal applicant and 2 dependents. Additional dependent, entails additional SRR Visa deposit of $15,000 USD each (except for former Filipinos).

Children must be legitimate or legally adopted by the Principal Retiree, unmarried and below 21 years old upon joining the program.

GENERALLY -- for everything above...

The Principal application (IE: You) must be foreign nationals or former Fiiipino citizens who are at least 35 years old.

Dependent Spouses must be legally married to (you, the) the Principal Retiree

Children must be legitimate or legally adopted by (you, the) the Principal Retiree, unmarried and below 21 years old upon joining the program.

No SRRV options are available to anyone under 35 years old. You'll need a different visa if you are younger than 35!

To Apply, for one of the SRRV marketing flavors... you generally need:


1) An Original valid Passport with valid /updated Temporary Visitor’s Visa;

2) An Accomplished PRA Application Form, which you can get at https://pra.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Application-Form-Principal-English.pdf


3) An Original valid Medical Clearance;

4) An Original valid Police Clearance from country of origin, and an additional NBI Clearance, if applicant has stayed in the Philippines for over 30 days from last date of entry;

5) Photos (8 pieces, 2?x2?);

6) SRR Visa deposit that is inwardly remitted;

7) A one time processing service fee of:
$1,400 USD for the Principal applicant + $300 USD fpr eacj Dependent applicant +Annual Fee of $360 USD (for the Principal & up to 2 dependents)

8) Marriage Certificate for joining dependent-spouse

9) Birth Certificate for joining dependent-child.

Additional things might be required depending on which option you chose from above.

There are variants of some things (like police clearance and medical exam) depending on whether you are applying from your home country (before coming), or whether you've been in the Philippines for 6 months as a guest when you decide to apply.

There's more to it, but that's the bare bones. (Probably worth it's own re-post!

-Asawa

TeeJay4103
  7/29/2021 01:56 EST

Asawa,

At this time SRRV application are only being accepted from those age 50 and above.

The PRA website has yet to be updated to reflect new and updated policies and procedures.

Asawa
  7/29/2021 15:38 EST

Oh wow, I did not know that!

Miss a few months, and miss a lot!

BC57
  7/30/2021 19:32 EST

Asawa:

Excellent post full of good information.

BC57

tombalita1
  8/1/2021 00:41 EST

Jimmy, sent you a PM. Tom

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