USAA won't add me to my husband's bank account!

[NicoleS 189]

Help! We've tried numerous times over the past few months to get me added to my husband's bank account with USAA. Instead of telling us we are missing something, USAA simply does NOTHING until we call and find out we are missing yet another form. 😥

Last night, my husband called and they told him I need to submit a W8-Ben form. But I believe this form is only for non-resident aliens working in the US?

I can't work, have no income, so why is this form even needed?

 

Or is it another form? How about the W-9?

 

We have previously filled out a several page questionnaire from them, sent my AOS NOA letter for the I-485, my SSN, our marriage certificate, my passport page.

His dad (who is deployed in the middle east) is also an account holder who 'needed' to sign the questionnaire so we already had to make an exception with USAA to get his mom to sign for him which was not convenient.

 

We are really hoping to have a few months of bank statements with both our names on it before my green card interview (not yet scheduled).

 

Let me know if you guys know the trick to getting a joint account with USAA. We aren't looking to leave USAA, I am just getting annoyed at how difficult it has been to work with USAA.

 

Note: I do have my OWN US BANK ACCOUNT THROUGH RBC. But it has no money in it and nothing goes into it except money my husband gives me to transfer to Canada to pay my Canadian debts lol. I see no point in adding my husband to that account because it only gets one small transfer a month from him.

 

Why is USAA being so difficult ?!

 

Edited January 23, 2020 by NicoleM

[Ortolan 381]

I've always had really good service with them, so I don't know what the problem could be. Could you call them and just explain that you need to talk to someone who has more experience dealing with a US citizen and an LPR? Have you asked for a supervisor to help?  If they told you to submit that form, you could, you know, go on and fill it out. Looks like they want your husband's (the US Citizen) name and social, and your Canadian tax ID or equivalent number (the number you use on your Canadian tax forms). If it was me, I'd drop into a local Income Tax office and ask for their help understanding the rest of the form. It's free (talking to the IRS office).

[NicoleS 189]

7 minutes ago, Ortolan said:

I've always had really good service with them, so I don't know what the problem could be. Could you call them and just explain that you need to talk to someone who has more experience dealing with a US citizen and an LPR? Have you asked for a supervisor to help?  If they told you to submit that form, you could, you know, go on and fill it out. Looks like they want your husband's (the US Citizen) name and social, and your Canadian tax ID or equivalent number (the number you use on your Canadian tax forms). If it was me, I'd drop into a local Income Tax office and ask for their help understanding the rest of the form. It's free (talking to the IRS office).

Yeah, I'm thinking I might have to call them myself to clarify (up to this point, it's only been my husband calling them). I am not a LPR, I don't have my green card yet (and probably won't until the summer based on current wait times for my local field office). I only have the NOA letters.

I don't know what to call myself - I think for tax purposes, I should be a 'resident alien', but I am not sure. What my husband has told USAA so far is that I am not yet a permanent resident but that I am waiting for my green card, and hence their request for the W8-Ben. Although, true, maybe I do need to talk to a higher up with more experience with couples like us.

 

I didn't know it was an option to talk to the IRS - thanks for that tip!

[Ortolan 381]

@NicoleM  The local IRS office here helped me a lot with weird tax questions pertaining to immigration; if they didn't know the answer, they knew who to call who did know. So it's a free resource you can use. Good luck!

[carmel34 3,623]

1 hour ago, NicoleM said:

We are really hoping to have a few months of bank statements with both our names on it before my green card interview (not yet scheduled).

GC interviews for AOS are taking forever, depending on the times for your local USCIS office, so you have plenty of time to sort this out, maybe a year or more.  My husband was given a hard time when we opened a joint account at Chase, and he entered on a CR-1.  Banks are subject to more regulations these days, hopefully you can get added after submitting all the forms they are asking for.  And as a resident of the US, you are considered a resident for IRS tax purposes.  Good luck!

[PickleChips 56]

I had to fill out the W8, in fact my husband added me before we were even married. I had entered on a K1 but hadn't even gotten married yet and they let us do it. I would definitely speak to someone else. Is your father in law on the account or is it that your husband can only have an account with USAA because he is the son of a servicemember? Seems weird that they required your father in law to sign anything. 

[Ontarkie 14,218]

~~Moved to Moving Here and YOur New Life, from AOS Family K1/K3~~

[NicoleS 189]

7 minutes ago, MotherofDragons said:

I had to fill out the W8, in fact my husband added me before we were even married. I had entered on a K1 but hadn't even gotten married yet and they let us do it. I would definitely speak to someone else. Is your father in law on the account or is it that your husband can only have an account with USAA because he is the son of a servicemember? Seems weird that they required your father in law to sign anything. 

Oh wow good to know. I'm not sure if his dad needs to be on it, he has just been on it since my husband was a teenager. This doesn't surprise me, I still have my mom on my Canadian bank accounts haha. It makes it easier to transfer money to/from his parents etc. when needed anyways so I don't mind him being on it. But I do not know if his dad is required to be on it. Hmmm. My husband is not in the military though, so maybe? I'll have to look into that.

[ineedadisplayname 496]

8 hours ago, NicoleM said:

Help! We've tried numerous times over the past few months to get me added to my husband's bank account with USAA. Instead of telling us we are missing something, USAA simply does NOTHING until we call and find out we are missing yet another form. 😥

Last night, my husband called and they told him I need to submit a W8-Ben form. But I believe this form is only for non-resident aliens working in the US?

I can't work, have no income, so why is this form even needed?

 

Or is it another form? How about the W-9?

 

We have previously filled out a several page questionnaire from them, sent my AOS NOA letter for the I-485, my SSN, our marriage certificate, my passport page.

His dad (who is deployed in the middle east) is also an account holder who 'needed' to sign the questionnaire so we already had to make an exception with USAA to get his mom to sign for him which was not convenient.

 

We are really hoping to have a few months of bank statements with both our names on it before my green card interview (not yet scheduled).

 

Let me know if you guys know the trick to getting a joint account with USAA. We aren't looking to leave USAA, I am just getting annoyed at how difficult it has been to work with USAA.

 

Note: I do have my OWN US BANK ACCOUNT THROUGH RBC. But it has no money in it and nothing goes into it except money my husband gives me to transfer to Canada to pay my Canadian debts lol. I see no point in adding my husband to that account because it only gets one small transfer a month from him.

 

Why is USAA being so difficult ?!

 

Looks like your husband is not the primary account holder of the account. It is already a joint account with his father....  Or in the case of him being the primary account holder he needs to call. Also you could try to add yourself from your husbands account. I use only the mobile app, but it has an option to add people once you selected the account.

I think it took a while, but they assisted well. Make your husband call them and don't hang up until they added you.

 

I remember filling out the W8 BEN. It doesn't matter if you work or not.

Unfortunately I don't remember the steps between that form and until I got access (mostly the primary account holder dealt with it) to the account, but the first thing after the access to upload my Social Security Card. They don't care about NOA1 for AOS or such.

 

USAA is not very immigrant friendly. You can't have your own account unless you are a citizen.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

They originally asked my husband for a W8-BEN but then once we had his social we were able to add my husband onto our USAA account while he was still on his K-1. They just wanted his social security card and his passport with the K-1 visa. I'm the main account holder, and they used his visa, then asked for updated residence proof later on when we went to apply for a credit card for him.

With that said though, I live where USAA headquarters are, so we were able to do it in person which may have made it easier for us. We also did this prior to marriage, so he was still within the 90 days of his stay. So he wasn't in the residency limbo of AOS when we added him.

After they took down his info, they linked him to my member number and main account, you can see both my daughter and my husband in the spouse/dependent section in the profile portion of the USAA website when you sign in.. From there I have made many separate checking accounts for bills and such, but I can add both him and my daughter to any of those accounts simply by checking a box online giving them access. You can add members online as well, but USAA will ask for more information like residency proof, dependent proof, etc.

Your husband should have his own USAA member number, he should be able to create his own account with that online.  Even if he's the son of a service member he is entitled to his own USAA account. I was able to keep mine as an ex-spouse of a service member, but it's my understanding that ALL dependants of service members, current and in the past, are eligible for their own membership assuming they don't break any rules.

I'm an ex-spouse of a soldier, but since I had my own USAA account set up with just my info and not my ex's, I was able to keep my USAA account. The concept is, once a member, always a member UNLESS you divorce and never hold your own specific account information and/or insurance plans with USAA. So if I had just never made my own account name, info, and used their insurance plans, I would have lost my account with them.

It sounds like your father in law is on your husbands account, so he would need to sign off on adding you on. 

Edited January 24, 2020 by Ash.

[Cheschirecat 176]

12 hours ago, NicoleM said:

Help! We've tried numerous times over the past few months to get me added to my husband's bank account with USAA. Instead of telling us we are missing something, USAA simply does NOTHING until we call and find out we are missing yet another form. 😥

Last night, my husband called and they told him I need to submit a W8-Ben form. But I believe this form is only for non-resident aliens working in the US?

I can't work, have no income, so why is this form even needed?

 

Or is it another form? How about the W-9?

 

We have previously filled out a several page questionnaire from them, sent my AOS NOA letter for the I-485, my SSN, our marriage certificate, my passport page.

His dad (who is deployed in the middle east) is also an account holder who 'needed' to sign the questionnaire so we already had to make an exception with USAA to get his mom to sign for him which was not convenient.

 

We are really hoping to have a few months of bank statements with both our names on it before my green card interview (not yet scheduled).

 

Let me know if you guys know the trick to getting a joint account with USAA. We aren't looking to leave USAA, I am just getting annoyed at how difficult it has been to work with USAA.

 

Note: I do have my OWN US BANK ACCOUNT THROUGH RBC. But it has no money in it and nothing goes into it except money my husband gives me to transfer to Canada to pay my Canadian debts lol. I see no point in adding my husband to that account because it only gets one small transfer a month from him.

 

Why is USAA being so difficult ?!

 

Do you have an SS. It was a crazy process. 1st he had to have his own account. Then we went thru this Question and answer process and now he has an account and he’s on my account and credit card. He had to provide passport and green card numbers too several days and several phone calls 

Edited January 24, 2020 by Cheschirecat

[Dhan 8]

USAA is primarily intended for US Military Personnel and their relatives. If the person does not have SSN or ITIN No then its not possible for Account Holder to add one. Its has tough guidelines when creating and adding members. Note : I am also Account Holder and I tried to add my spouse but failed. 

[Ash.1101 1,756]

43 minutes ago, Dhan said:

USAA is primarily intended for US Military Personnel and their relatives. If the person does not have SSN or ITIN No then its not possible for Account Holder to add one. Its has tough guidelines when creating and adding members. Note : I am also Account Holder and I tried to add my spouse but failed. 

It seems hit or miss tbqh. I got my husband added to my account while he was still my fiance with just his K-1 visa, his SSN, and current I-94. He was on the account within an hour, but again, we had the opportunity to go physically to the USAA bank in San Antonio.

I think things start getting weird if you are trying to add someone that is between status (K-1 to AOS), out of status, or not in the country.

[Loren Y 2,755]

There are dozens of other Banks and credit unions that will be Happy to take your money and allow you and your husband a joint account. I have accounts at probably 5 US banks, wife is only on 2 of my accounts. Shop another bank, I would never work that hard to open an account with a bank, I'm like fine, on to the next. I don't care how great the bank is. That much trouble is it really worth the agrivation.

[zochu 255]

18 hours ago, NicoleM said:

Help! We've tried numerous times over the past few months to get me added to my husband's bank account with USAA. Instead of telling us we are missing something, USAA simply does NOTHING until we call and find out we are missing yet another form. 😥

Last night, my husband called and they told him I need to submit a W8-Ben form. But I believe this form is only for non-resident aliens working in the US?

I can't work, have no income, so why is this form even needed?

 

Or is it another form? How about the W-9?

 

We have previously filled out a several page questionnaire from them, sent my AOS NOA letter for the I-485, my SSN, our marriage certificate, my passport page.

His dad (who is deployed in the middle east) is also an account holder who 'needed' to sign the questionnaire so we already had to make an exception with USAA to get his mom to sign for him which was not convenient.

 

We are really hoping to have a few months of bank statements with both our names on it before my green card interview (not yet scheduled).

 

Let me know if you guys know the trick to getting a joint account with USAA. We aren't looking to leave USAA, I am just getting annoyed at how difficult it has been to work with USAA.

 

Note: I do have my OWN US BANK ACCOUNT THROUGH RBC. But it has no money in it and nothing goes into it except money my husband gives me to transfer to Canada to pay my Canadian debts lol. I see no point in adding my husband to that account because it only gets one small transfer a month from him.

 

Why is USAA being so difficult ?!

 

 

I haven't read any replies but we (my hubby and I) bank with USAA (sorry theres so many replies)

 

You need to speak with verifications to be added to a joint account. You will also need to sign some forms too (by sign, you can sign and scan to email to them).

 

 Otherwise you can open up yourself without a SSN, GC etc. You just need to submit passport and military dependence and privilege card (if you have one). 

 

We have a joint account and I have my own. I am in Australia with no SSN, Tax ID or GC so it can be done! 

 

Good Luck!