the Author has corrected the statement above and clarified its not SSI and its the regular Social Security benefits

Mike Maday per Grok

SSI benefits are suspended (not permanently canceled) if a recipient is outside the United States for 30 consecutive days or more, or for a full calendar month.

According to official U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) rules:

An individual is ineligible for SSI benefits for any month during which they are outside the U.S. for the entire calendar month (20 CFR § 416.1327; SSA POMS SI .410).

If absent for 30 consecutive days or longer, the person is not considered back in the U.S. until they have returned and remained present for 30 consecutive days (20 CFR § 416.215; SSA eligibility overview at ssa.gov/ssi/text-eligibility-ussi.htm).

Once absent for 30 consecutive days or more, benefits are suspended effective with the first full calendar month of absence, and eligibility resumes only after 30 consecutive days back in the U.S., provided all other requirements are met (SSA POMS SI .225; SI .410).

Exceptions are limited (e.g., certain students temporarily abroad for study or children of U.S. military parents stationed overseas; SSA eligibility overview).

Contrast with Social Security (Title II) benefits (retirement, SSDI, survivors): These follow different rules, often allowing payments abroad for U.S. citizens indefinitely or for non-citizens up to six months with exceptions (ssa.gov/international/payments.html). The 30-day rule applies specifically to SSI.

Reporting requirement: Recipients must report planned or actual absences of 30 days or more to SSA (SSA POMS SI .225).

All information is sourced from official SSA publications, including the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 20), Program Operations Manual System (POMS), and ssa.gov eligibility pages (verified as current per SSA site content as of 2026). For individual cases, contact SSA directly via ssa.gov or local office, as exceptions or reinstatement procedures may apply based on specific circumstances.

@Nongnuch *******

would you need proof of health insurance?

@Nick ***********

if I get the 60 days visa exempt plus 30 day extension, should my plane ticket date of departure be 60 days +30 days or less?

@Kool ******

really? that complicated? hehe in the US you just need to tell the bank what happens to your account balance when you pass .. hmmmm!!

@Kool ******

Does the bank allow some kind of "who gets the bank's current account balance" just in case the bank owner gets incapacitated or pass away?

When you fly in, the airlines usually check your ticket as to when to leave or fly out, so when getting a 60 day exempt visa with an intent to extend it to another 30 or 60 days, would your flying out ticket be dated after the 60 day exempt and before the date of allowed extension?

@Todd *********

Don't they require that the whole amount be deposited in a Thailand bank as the thailand US consul do not do authentication these days that you receive that much from social security?

@Ray *******

can you please dm me the agent you worked with? thanks!