What Is a Representative Payee?

A representative payee accepts Social Security or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for someone who is not capable 𒊎of managing their own benefits.

Once a representative has been identified, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will send the beneficiary's Social Security or other benefit checks to the representative payee.

The representative payee may also assist the individual with money management and protect them from v𝔍ictimization or financial abuse, such as identity theft and other forms of fraud.

How a Representative Payee Works

Adults who are declared legally incompetent and most minors are required to have a representative payee. The SSA makes decisions about other beneficiaries, such as someone with a drug or alcohol addiction, on a case-by-case basis and may determine that a legally competent adult needs a representative payee if they are unable to manage their own benefits.

Individual representative payees are not paid for their services to the beneficiary; however, a legal guardian may be able to collect a guardian fee with the authorization of a court.

Who Can Serve As a Representative Payee?

Ideally, according to the SSA, family or friends will typically serve as representative payees. If that's not possible, the SSA may use entities called qualified organizations to act as representative payees.

Each state manages its own Protection and Advocacy System (P&A) to protect individuals by advocating on their behalf. As of March 2025, there are 57 P&As in the United States and its territories, which are independent of healthcare service providers.

For a person to become a representative payee for a friend or family member, they must complete Form SSA-11—Request to Be Selected as a Payee, typically in person at a Social Security office. The applicant must provide documentation to prove their identity, including their 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Social Security number. You can find the nearest Social Security office via the SSA's tool.

What Must a Representative Payee Do?

A representative payee must spend the benefits intended for the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:beneficiary according to the person's ne💛eds. They are expected to account for the money spent and report any changes in the person's living situation🐠 to the SSA.

For example, if the beneficiary marries, moves, is hospitalized, starts working or stops working, receives or loses any other benefits such as child support, workers' compensation, or a pension, is no longer disabled, is convicted of a crime, or dies.

The beneficiary's checks must be deposited into 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:a checking or savings account, and the money can be used to pay for the beneficiary's expenses, such as housing, food, clothing, utilities, health, and dental expenses, personal care items, rehabilitation, education, bills, family expenses, or entertainment. Any remaining funds should be placed in an interest-bearing account.

The Bottom Line

A representative payee is tasked with a major responsibility: managing Social Security or SSI payments for someone who can't do it themselves, typically a child or a legally incompetent adult. A payee receives the benefits and spends the money in ways that directly serve the beneficiary. The rest of the funds must be saved in an account.