AARP Hearing Center
Only the Social Security Administration (SSA) can formally appoint a representative payee to manage benefits for someone unable to do so for themselves — for example, a young child, a person with severe physical disabilities or an older adult with cognitive impairments.
However, you do have the option to select up to three people ahead of time who could serve as your payee if the need arises. This “advance designation” is not an appointment, but the SSA is legally obligated to give strong weight to your choices.
Advance designation was implemented in early 2020 as part of an amendment to Social Security law that Congress passed two years earlier, aimed at strengthening the representative payee program. Payees are tasked with receiving a beneficiary’s monthly payments and ensuring the money is used to meet that person’s essential and personal needs, such as shelter, food, medical care, clothing and recreation.
As of December 2024, nearly 4.7 million Social Security recipients had payees, according to the most recent data available from the SSA. Most are minors or adults who have had disabilities since childhood, but more than 1.3 million retired and disabled workers, their spouses or their survivors have someone else managing their benefits, typically a family member or close friend. Nearly 1 in 10 adult workers receiving disability benefits has a representative payee.
How advance designation works
Any adult who is applying for or receiving Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can make an advance designation, as long as they are still capable of managing their payments at the time. (Child claimants and beneficiaries cannot designate a payee unless they have been declared an “emancipated minor” under the laws of their state.)
You can submit your list online if you have a My Social Security account or by phone to the SSA’s national customer service line, 800-772-1213. You can change your choices or withdraw advance designation altogether at any time. Social Security will contact you periodically to check if you want to review or update your selections.
