1623. Accounting for Use of Funds

1623.1 How do representative payees account for their use of the beneficiary's funds?

An annual report form (Representative Payee Report) is sent to representative payees for them to explain how Social Security or SSI payments were used during the 12-month report period. Payees should keep records throughout the year so that they can provide an accurate accounting. In addition to this annual reporting, payees may be asked to submit a report at other times as well.

1623.2 Do State mental institutions receive this report form?

Although some State mental institutions receive this report form for each beneficiary, most State mental institutions are subject to a different monitoring process (see §1624).

1623.3 How is the representative payee's performance evaluated?

To help us assess the payee's performance, the report asks for information such as:

1. Whether the beneficiary lived alone, or with the same person, or in the same institution during the report period;

2. How the Social Security and/or SSI payments were used;

3. How much of the benefit payments were saved and how the savings were invested; and

4. Whether the payee was convicted of a felony during the report period.

1623.4 Does SSA request additional information?

Depending on the payee's responses, we may interview the payee, beneficiary, and custodian, if appropriate, and complete a more detailed report (Representative Payee Evaluation Report) in order to determine the continued suitability of the representative payee.

1623.5 Does SSA conduct any additional monitoring of payees?

In addition to the annual report form that we require all payees (except for State mental institutions) to complete, we visit certain organizational and individual payees periodically and examine their beneficiary accounting records. We also interview some of the beneficiaries the payees serve concerning the payee's performance. This site visit program gives SSA an opportunity to provide ongoing education to payees about their responsibilities, and helps to improve the lines of communication between the payees and SSA.

Last Revised: Aug. 17, 2009