How do illegal workers wind up on Social Security rolls? (married, illegal immigrants)

[mkfarnam]

Q: The best way to help Social Security and Medicare is get people off the rolls who don't belong there — the non-citizens who have come here illegally, and their dependents who have never paid into Social Security. Wouldn’t there be enough to take care of the seniors we already have if we did?
A: It’s hard to know because no official government estimates seem to exist. Just how do illegal workers wind up on Social Security rolls? In order to get jobs they often provide employers with invalid, fake, or even stolen Social Security numbers. Employers withhold payroll taxes as required by law and wage reports are sent in to the Social Security Administration (SSA). If the name and Social Security number reported by employers doesn’t match those in the SSA’s records, the “mismatched reports are placed in an “Earnings Suspense File.

” Years later, those earnings records may be accessed when a non-citizen files a claim for Social Security benefits.

read more...

http://www.seniorsleague.org//index....3708&Itemid=93

[1751texan]

Non-citizens who are assigned a Social Security number on or after January 1, 2004, must receive legal work authorization at some point in order to file a claim for Social Security benefits. If they never get legal work authorization, then they can’t legally file a claim.

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by 1751texan

Non-citizens who are assigned a Social Security number on or after January 1, 2004, must receive legal work authorization at some point in order to file a claim for Social Security benefits. If they never get legal work authorization, then they can’t legally file a claim.

Nice try.

Read all of it.

They must receive legal work autorization by 1/1/2004 in order to file a claim for Social Security benefits. If they never get legal work authorization, then they can’t legally file a claim.

[1751texan]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

Nice try.

Read all of it.

They must receive legal work autorization by 1/1/2004 in order to file a claim for Social Security benefits. If they never get legal work authorization, then they can’t legally file a claim.

actually my try was to point out the same thing you pointed out...they are not intitled to claim.

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by 1751texan

actually my try was to point out the same thing you pointed out...they are not intitled to claim.

Then I stand corrected.

[Lariat]

With a clusterfawk like SS, it's very easy to fall through cracks.

[City_Libertarians]

Far Right Conservatives and Republicans should get the facts straight.

No Social Security benefits can legally be paid to illegal immigrants and there was never a proposal to change that.

[URL="http://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/social-security-for-illegal-immigrants/"]http://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/social-security-for-illegal-immigrants/[/URL]

There was a failed attempt by Republicans to change current law in order to prevent immigrants who become citizens, or who are granted legal status, from getting credit toward future Social Security benefits for taxes they paid before becoming legal. Current law allows illegal immigrants to get such credit – but only when and if they become legal. Republicans offered an amendment to change this, but it failed, as did the immigration legislation to which it would have been attached.

Illegal immigrants are broadly disqualified from collecting benefits from government programs, according to U.S. Code. Notably Social Security benefits. To repeat: Illegal immigrants cannot legally receive Social Security benefits, and Congress isn’t about to vote on legislation that would change that.

There may be some isolated instances of social security fraud or mistakes but it is probly less common than Republicans think.


Social Security Eligibility Rules

There are several requirements in order to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, including:

• Age: In order to qualify for Social Security retirement income, you must be at least age 62. Other benefits, such as survivor benefits or disability benefits may be collected at an earlier age, but the Social Security eligibility rules require you to be age 62 before you can apply for retirement benefits. On the other hand, you can delay collecting benefits until age 70; if you are still working or you want to maximize your retirement income.

• Work Credits: You must work in a covered job (i.e., where you contribute to Social Security through payroll tax deductions) for at least 40 credits to qualify for retirement benefits. You can earn up to four credits per year.

You must work for 10 years to be eligible for Social Security. In order to earn a work credit, you must earn a minimum dollar amount; in 2009 this minimum was $1,090.

Credits do not have to be earned consecutively, which allows for people to leave the workforce for several years (to raise a family, etc.) and return to work later without losing their work credits already earned.

• Citizenship or Residency Status: Many people will be surprised to learn that you do not have to be a U.S. citizen to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. The Social Security eligibility rules allow workers who pay into the system to qualify for benefits even if they are not U.S. citizens.

You must live in the United States when you collect retirement benefits if you are a non-citizen (U.S. citizens may reside outside the U.S. and still collect benefits), and you must meet the other requirements to be eligible for retirement benefits.

Given the Social Security eligibility requirements listed above, most full-time homemakers will not qualify for benefits on their own, unless they worked for 10 years (40 credits) before they became a homemaker.
Social Security Eligibility: Spousal Benefits

However, homemakers may qualify for benefits based on their spouse’s earnings. Spousal benefits allow husbands and wives to collect retirement benefits based on their spouse’s earnings if they result in a higher benefit than their own. To be more specific, a spouse who has not worked or who has significantly lower earnings than their husband or wife can receive up to as much as half of their spouse’s full retirement benefit.

In addition, homemakers can collect benefits on their ex-spouse’s earnings if they were married for at least ten years and they are currently unmarried.

In addition to spousal benefits, homemakers may also qualify for survivor benefits. Widows and widowers can start collecting benefits based on their deceased spouse’s earnings beginning at age 60 (age 50 if they are disabled). Children of deceased workers who are under age 18 (19 if they are still in high school) may also qualify for survivor benefits.

While full-time homemakers who have never worked or who have worked for less than 10 years generally won’t qualify for Social Security retirement benefits on their own, as you can see, they may be eligible for benefits based on their husband’s earnings.

Note: while this article has assumed that the homemaker is female, Social Security is gender neutral, so men who choose to stay home to raise the kids can also qualify for spousal and survivor benefits.

[City_Libertarians]

[url=http://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/social-security-for-illegal-immigrants/]Social Security for Illegal Immigrants? | FactCheck.org[/url]

We first saw this bogus claim bandied about as a Republican campaign theme during the 2006 midterm, 2008, 2010 elections.

No benefits can legally be paid to illegal immigrants and there was never a proposal to change that.

The false claims mischaracterize debate over immigration legislation in 2006. There was a failed attempt by Republicans to change current law in order to prevent immigrants who become citizens, or who are granted legal status, from getting credit toward future Social Security benefits for taxes they paid before becoming legal.

Current law allows illegal immigrants to get such credit – but only when and if they become legal. Republicans offered an amendment to change this, but it failed, as did the immigration legislation to which it would have been attached.

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

Q: The best way to help Social Security and Medicare is get people off the rolls who don't belong there — the non-citizens who have come here illegally, and their dependents who have never paid into Social Security. Wouldn’t there be enough to take care of the seniors we already have if we did?
A: It’s hard to know because no official government estimates seem to exist. Just how do illegal workers wind up on Social Security rolls? In order to get jobs they often provide employers with invalid, fake, or even stolen Social Security numbers. Employers withhold payroll taxes as required by law and wage reports are sent in to the Social Security Administration (SSA). If the name and Social Security number reported by employers doesn’t match those in the SSA’s records, the “mismatched reports are placed in an “Earnings Suspense File.

” Years later, those earnings records may be accessed when a non-citizen files a claim for Social Security benefits.

read more...

[URL]http://www.seniorsleague.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3708&Ite mid=93[/URL]