5 Answers

Flip

Karma: 178071

There are many people here legally that are not citizens. Many have worked and paid into SS for years and are eligible to receive the same benefits as a citizen. If a person is receiving SS and has minor children, they can receive SS as can his/her spouse if he/she is not working. Once the children become of age (18) they and the spouse (if still under retirement age) stop receiving benefits.

The above holds true whether citizen or non...

14 years ago. Rating: 6
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Colleen

True, forgot about green carded people. They have paid into the system however. I think EBcity might have been asking about people who have never paid into Social Security. There is another SSI, it's Supplemental Security income, different from Social Security. Social Security is based on your Social Security number. If you do not have one of those, you can neither add to it nor take from it. At least that's how I understand it.

commented 14 years ago

Colleen

Nope, checked..even people with green cards do not pay into social security because they do not have a social security card. So they must pay taxes but not social security. Perhaps they draw from Supplemental Security income also. Not Social Security.

commented 14 years ago

Flip

I have been married to two people with green cards (now called permanent resident cards). They both paid into SS before becoming citizens. Both also had social security cards before becoming citizens.

commented 14 years ago

Benchong

Karma: 121185

Non citizens may receive SSI benefits if they meet the requirements of the law. visit www.socialsecurity.gov.

14 years ago. Rating: 5
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Colleen

I believe you are talking about Supplemental Security income (also known as SSI), not Social Security Income. Social Security is something you pay into over your lifetime working years.

commented 14 years ago

Colleen

Karma: 2042415

They can't. Who do you know that's collecting?

14 years ago. Rating: 3
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Chiangmai

Karma: 370275

Social Security payments to people are predicated upon what you paid into the Social Security Trust Fund earlier, and not determined by citizenship. Non-citizens can't vote but they came reap the SS benefits for sure.

14 years ago. Rating: 3
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EBcity

Karma: 60

I don't know anyone in particular, I heard rumors that if you are 65 and just off an airplane from xxxx country that you could collect without ever putting into the system. If that is the case, in my opinion, that is soooo wrong. I will review the website that Benhong mentioned, I like to have facts before I get all riled up and call my Senator and Congressmen/women.

14 years ago. Rating: 2
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catgirl15

I don't believe you can collect Social Security for retirement unless you've paid into the system, because the amount of your social security check is based on what you've paid in over your working lifetime. As for a non-citizen being able to pay into it and collect, that's totally true; the social security card application specifically asks whether or not you're a citizen, so the system does encompass non-citizens.

commented 14 years ago

Flip

I have a friend who is on SS. He married a younger woman from a foreign country and adopted her two children whom are pre-teen. The children and wife will receive (pro-rated) SS payments from his SS account until the children reach age 18 (wife does not work). They are an upstanding family in their community, and were told by a SS worker to apply for the above.
P.S. I am not sure if the wife is a citizen yet or not. Personally, I feel this is stretching the payout of the SS a little far.

commented 14 years ago