SSA Tweaks Payee Forms: Feedback Wanted on Benefit Managers
Published Date: 2/26/2026
Notice
Summary
The Social Security Administration wants your thoughts on some forms they use to pick people who manage benefits for others. They’re updating these forms and asking for feedback by April 27, 2026, to make sure the process is clear and easy. This affects individuals and organizations applying to be payees, with no new costs but a chance to reduce paperwork hassle.
Analyzed Economic Effects
9 provisions identified: 8 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Disability Case Development Evidence Collection
State Disability Determination Services collect medical evidence, consultative exam (CE) reports, credentials, and claimant symptom reports used to make SSDI and SSI disability decisions. SSA reports large totals (e.g., over 22.9 million CE and MER-related submissions across categories and a combined annual burden of 5,534,604 hours) and is seeking comments by April 27, 2026.
Representative Payee Application Burden
SSA is revising the application (Form SSA-11-BK and system inputs) used to pick representative payees who manage Social Security or SSI benefits for others. SSA estimates about 1.68 million total respondents related to this collection (including 1,509,472 individual respondents) with an annual burden of 335,576 hours and a theoretical opportunity cost of about $41,395,410. SSA is seeking public comments by April 27, 2026 to reduce paperwork burden and improve clarity.
Representative Payee Annual Reporting & Evaluation
Appointed representative payees must report once each year on how they used or conserved a beneficiary's funds; if a payee fails to report, SSA will conduct an interview and complete Form SSA-624-F5 to check continued suitability. SSA seeks comments on this collection (respondents total ~6,751) by April 27, 2026.
Student Benefit Eligibility Reporting
SSA collects information on Forms SSA-1372-BK and SSA-1372-BK-FC to decide whether children of an insured who are students meet eligibility for student benefits and whether to terminate benefits. SSA reports a combined respondent total of 434,928 for these collections and requests comments by April 27, 2026.
Medical Reports for HIV Presumptive Disability
SSA uses Forms SSA-4814 and SSA-4815 to collect medical information needed to determine presumptive disability for SSI applicants with HIV; the document lists 840 combined respondents and seeks comments by April 27, 2026.
Child-in-Care Benefit Certification
SSA uses Form SSA-781 to decide if non-custodial parents qualify for spouse, parent, or survivor benefits based on having a child in their care. The child-in-care rule requires claimants to have an entitled child under age 16 or a disabled child in their care. SSA requests comments on this collection by April 27, 2026.
Requests for Social Security Earnings Statements
Individuals can request a Statement of Earnings or Quarters of Coverage by mailing Form SSA-7004 or accessing their statement online via my Social Security; SSA reports 21,155 annual respondents and requests comments by April 27, 2026.
Discrimination Complaint Process at SSA
SSA uses Form SSA-437 for individuals to file complaints alleging discrimination (disability, race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or retaliation) in SSA programs; SSA lists 600 respondents and requests comments by April 27, 2026.
International Direct Deposit Enrollment
SSA's International Direct Deposit (IDD) program lets Title II beneficiaries living abroad receive payments in foreign bank accounts using country-specific versions of Form SF-1199A (SSA-1199 variants). SSA is revising this information collection and requests comments by April 27, 2026.
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