Accumulated Funds Payable to Beneficiaries or Their Representative Payees
December 12, 2012
According to SSA policy, accumulated funds are benefits that (1) accrued before an initial award, (2) were withheld pending the selection of a representative payee, or (3) were conserved and returned to SSA by a former representative payee. If a beneficiary has no representative payee, SSA is required to pay all accumulated funds directly to the beneficiary unless the selection of a representative payee is pending, a capability determination is pending, or a beneficiary requested installment payments. If the accumulated funds total more than $4,000, SSA must evaluate certain representative payees’ ability to handle the benefits.