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Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-102

§119 Allotment of Tribal Funds to Individual Indians

Title 25 › CHAPTER 4 — PERFORMANCE BY UNITED STATES OF OBLIGATIONS TO INDIANS › SUBCHAPTER II — DISBURSEMENT OF MONEYS AND SUPPLIES › § 119

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior can choose an individual Indian from any tribe who is able to handle their own affairs and give that person their proportionate share of tribal or trust money held in the U.S. Treasury. The money is put on that person’s Treasury account and becomes available to them only after they apply for it. The Secretaries of the Interior and the Treasury must hold back enough of the allotment to pay any claims against the person that are pending in the United States Court of Federal Claims or in the Executive Departments of the Government at the time of the allotment.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §119

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in his discretion, from time to time, to designate any individual Indian belonging to any tribe or tribes whom he may deem to be capable of managing his or her affairs, and he may cause to be apportioned and allotted to any such Indian his or her pro rata share of any tribal or trust funds on deposit in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the tribe or tribes of which said Indian is a member, and the amount so apportioned and allotted shall be placed to the credit of such Indian upon the books of the Treasury, and the same shall thereupon be subject to the order of such Indian: Provided, That no apportionment or allotment shall be made to any Indian until such Indian has first made an application therefor: Provided further, That the Secretaries of the Interior and of the Treasury are directed to withhold from such apportionment and allotment a sufficient sum of the said Indian funds as may be necessary or required to pay any existing claims against said Indians that may be pending for settlement by judicial determination in the United States Court of Federal Claims or in the Executive Departments of the Government, at time of such apportionment and allotment.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1992—Pub. L. 102–572 substituted “United States Court of Federal Claims” for “United States Claims Court”. 1982—Pub. L. 97–164 substituted “United States Claims Court” for “Court of Claims”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1992 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 102–572 effective Oct. 29, 1992, see section 911 of Pub. L. 102–572, set out as a note under section 171 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Effective Date

of 1982 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–164 effective Oct. 1, 1982, see section 402 of Pub. L. 97–164, set out as a note under section 171 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

For

Transfer of Functions

of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 119

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102