Social Security Administration (SSA)
Complete the annual Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (FEQ)
(Proof of Life)
In addition to relying on beneficiaries (a retired person or family member) to report events that may affect their benefits, SSA contacts beneficiaries outside the United States annually or biennially (every two years) to verify their current status if they a foreign address on record.
These questionnaires are mailed to the beneficiaries receiving their own benefits or to the representative payees (person receiving benefits on behalf of a minor or disabled person) in May/June of each year to the foreign mailing address on their record at the Social Security Administration. The FEQ mailings follow either of two schedules; annual or biennial (every two years);
Annual Schedule
- Beneficiaries with a representative payee (SSA-7161)
- Beneficiaries aged 90 and over (SSA-7162)
Biennial Schedule
- Beneficiaries receiving their own benefits (SSA-7162)
- The terminal digit selection for a particular year.
- SSNs ending in 00 – 49 are sent in even numbered years
- SSNs ending in 50 – 99 are sent in odd numbered years
If you don’t receive your questionnaire by October of the year that you are required to complete it, please contact us since we could provide you with one to avoid your benefits from being suspended.