How does Social Security track death of ex-spouse living overseas for survivor benefits?

This is actually a really interesting question. The Social Security Administration does have death reporting agreements with many countries, but not all of them. Thailand specifically does have some reporting protocols with the US, but they're not always reliable. Your best bet would be to periodically check with the SSA about your ex's status. If he's receiving Social Security benefits overseas, they'll eventually notice if he stops responding or claiming payments. You can also check if he's registered with the US Embassy in Thailand - they typically report deaths of US citizens back to the States. I had to deal with something similar when my uncle passed away in Mexico.

my neighbor had this EXACT problem when her ex moved to the Philippines!! took her almost 2 YEARS to get survivors benefits because nobody reported his death to SSA!!! she finally got backpay but what a nightmare

There are several official channels through which the SSA can learn about deaths abroad, but none are foolproof: 1. The Department of State reports deaths of US citizens abroad when they're notified 2. If your ex-spouse receives Social Security benefits, there are periodic verification requirements 3. Some countries have totalization agreements with reciprocal reporting 4. The SSA maintains a "Death Master File" that gets updates from various sources If none of these mechanisms capture his death when it occurs, you would indeed need to report it yourself with supporting documentation to claim survivor benefits. I recommend establishing a relationship with your local SSA office now and documenting your concerns. At minimum, make sure they have your marriage and divorce documents on file and properly linked to his record.

My cousin spent 3 months trying to get SS to acknowledge her ex husband's death in Brazil. Such a headache! They kept asking for more and more documents, each needing special stamps and translations. Hope you never have to deal with this!

did u try googling his name? sometimes obits show up even for americans who die overseas. worth a shot.

The SSA has a major problem with this exact situation. I work with seniors on benefit issues, and international death reporting is incredibly inconsistent. Your concerns are completely valid. If you're planning ahead, I recommend two steps: 1. Establish your relationship in SSA records now - submit your marriage and divorce documents to create a link between your records 2. If you do learn of his passing someday, be prepared for a challenging process. You'll need his death certificate and possibly other supporting documents from Thailand, all properly translated and authenticated. One major challenge people face is just getting through to SSA to handle these complex international cases. If you're struggling to get someone knowledgeable on the phone when the time comes, check out Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you skip the hold times and connect directly with an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Several of my clients have used it for complex international cases where getting the right person on the phone was crucial.

so wait...ur not even sure if he's dead but ur trying to claim benefits??? kinda weird tbh

I had a somewhat similar situation involving my sister's ex who moved to Costa Rica. When he passed away in 2022, we only found out through a mutual friend. The Costa Rican death certificate had to go through an authentication process called an "apostille" before SSA would accept it. Then there was another 2-month delay while they verified their marriage records. The most frustrating part was that we had to keep calling back because different SSA representatives gave conflicting information about what documents were needed. I spent so many hours on hold only to be disconnected or transferred to someone who couldn't help. My advice is to document EVERYTHING, keep multiple copies of all paperwork, and be extremely persistent. The survivor benefits were substantial though, so it was worth the effort.

One thing nobody's mentioned - if your ex is receiving Social Security payments in Thailand, the SSA requires proof of life periodically. They send questionnaires that must be completed to continue receiving benefits. If he doesn't respond, they investigate. This might eventually lead to discovering his death. Also, if he's a US citizen, the State Department should be notified of his death by Thai authorities. This doesn't always happen efficiently, but it's another potential notification channel. The bottom line is there's no guarantee the SSA will learn of his death promptly, so being proactive is your best approach.