To appoint a representative for your Social Security claim, submit Form SSA-1696 (or a signed written statement naming the person) to the Social Security Administration. The representative can be an attorney or a qualified non-attorney, and both of you must sign. Once SSA processes the appointment, that person can review your file, submit evidence, communicate with SSA, and appear at hearings on your behalf. You pay nothing unless SSA authorizes a fee, and in most disability cases the fee comes out of your past-due benefits rather than out of your pocket.
How to Make the Appointment
The standard route is Form SSA-1696. It asks for your identifying information and your representative’s — full name, address, whether they’re an attorney or non-attorney, and their Representative Identification (RepID) number if they have one. Your Social Security number ties the appointment to your claim file. Both of you sign and date it.1Social Security Administration. Form SSA-1696 – Claimant’s Appointment of a Representative
You don’t have to use the form. SSA also accepts a signed written statement that identifies you, identifies your representative, and establishes the appointment.1Social Security Administration. Form SSA-1696 – Claimant’s Appointment of a Representative Most representatives use the form anyway because it includes the sections on fee intent and direct payment eligibility that SSA needs later.
Paper Submission
Mail the completed form to the SSA office handling your claim, fax it, or hand-deliver it to a local Social Security office.1Social Security Administration. Form SSA-1696 – Claimant’s Appointment of a Representative
Electronic Submission
SSA also offers an online version. Your representative initiates the submission and completes their section; you then complete and sign yours electronically. SSA won’t process the appointment until both electronic signatures are in.1Social Security Administration. Form SSA-1696 – Claimant’s Appointment of a Representative Once processed, both of you get confirmation that the appointment is on the record.
Who You Can Appoint
SSA lets you appoint either an attorney or a non-attorney. An attorney must be admitted to practice before the highest court of any state or a lower federal court and must be in good standing. A non-attorney has to show good character, a solid reputation, and the ability to help with your claim.2Social Security Administration. Representing Social Security Claimants
Family members and friends qualify. But SSA only accepts an individual person as your representative — you cannot appoint a law firm, a corporation, or an organization. Anyone who has been suspended or disqualified from practicing before SSA or another federal agency is off-limits.2Social Security Administration. Representing Social Security Claimants
What Your Representative Can and Cannot Do
Once the appointment is in place, your representative can obtain information from your SSA file, submit evidence, and make factual or legal statements for you. They can attend hearings, conferences, and interviews, and they receive copies of every notice and decision SSA issues on your case.3Social Security Administration. HALLEX HA 01110.020 – Authority and Responsibilities of a Representative
There are limits. Your representative cannot sign certain benefit applications for you, cannot change your bank account information, and cannot charge or collect any fee without SSA authorization.1Social Security Administration. Form SSA-1696 – Claimant’s Appointment of a Representative The role is to advocate for and manage your claim, not to stand in for you across every SSA function.
What It Costs
A representative cannot charge you anything unless SSA authorizes the fee. Authorization happens one of two ways: through a fee agreement or through a fee petition.
Fee Agreements
A fee agreement is a written contract between you and your representative, signed by both of you before SSA issues a favorable decision. If SSA approves the agreement and you win, the fee is capped at the lesser of 25 percent of your past-due benefits or $9,200. That $9,200 cap applies to favorable decisions issued on or after November 30, 2024.4Social Security Administration. Fee Agreements You pay nothing upfront, and nothing at all if you lose.
Out-of-pocket costs like obtaining medical records are separate. Those can be billed to you regardless of how the claim comes out.2Social Security Administration. Representing Social Security Claimants
Fee Petitions
When there’s no fee agreement, or when SSA declines to approve one, the representative has to file a fee petition to collect anything.5Social Security Administration. The Fee Petition Process The petition itemizes the services performed, and SSA reviews it to set a reasonable fee. There is no fixed dollar cap on a petition-authorized fee, though SSA can authorize less than the representative asked for. If more than one representative worked on the case under the petition process, each has to file a separate petition.
Direct Payment From Past-Due Benefits
When you win a claim that produces past-due benefits, SSA withholds up to 25 percent of those benefits to pay your representative directly.6Social Security Administration. POMS GN 03920.050 – Releasing Withheld Funds for Representatives Fees Attorneys are generally eligible for direct payment if they’re registered with SSA. Non-attorneys have to meet extra requirements (see below). A representative who isn’t eligible for direct payment still gets paid — you just pay them yourself after SSA authorizes the amount.
SSA also deducts an assessment from each direct payment. For payments made on or after December 1, 2025, that assessment is capped at $123.7Federal Register. Rate for Assessment on Direct Payment of Fees to Representatives in 2026 It comes out of the representative’s fee, not out of your benefits.
Non-Attorney Direct Payment
A non-attorney can only receive direct payment from withheld past-due benefits if they qualify under SSA’s Eligible Direct Payment Non-Attorney (EDPNA) program. The requirements are stricter than what it takes to simply serve as a representative:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution, or at least four years of relevant professional experience (reviewing and analyzing medical reports, assessing physical or mental limitations) plus a high school diploma or GED.
- A passing score on an SSA-administered exam of 50 multiple-choice questions covering Social Security law, policy, and recent court decisions. The passing score is 70 percent or higher, with up to three hours to complete it.
- Professional liability coverage of at least $100,000 per incident and $500,000 in annual aggregate.
- Ongoing continuing education in disability-related topics, including ethics and professional conduct.
A non-attorney who doesn’t meet these requirements can still represent you. They just can’t be paid directly out of your withheld benefits. For most claimants, working with an attorney or an EDPNA-eligible non-attorney means you never have to write a check; the authorized fee comes out of the withheld portion of past-due benefits.
Ending the Relationship
You can fire your representative at any time. Send SSA a signed and dated written statement revoking the appointment. Form SSA-1696-SUP1 exists for this purpose, but any signed and dated written revocation will do.9Social Security Administration. Instructions for Completing Form SSA-1696-SUP1 File it in person at a local office, by mail, or by fax.
A representative can also withdraw. The withdrawal has to be in writing, signed, and dated — SSA won’t accept an oral one — and it must be done in a way that doesn’t disrupt your claim and gives you time to find someone new.10Social Security Administration. HALLEX HA 01110.030 – Termination of a Representatives Appointment
Fees After the Relationship Ends
If a representative withdraws or you revoke the appointment before your claim is decided, they may still be entitled to a fee for the work they already did. SSA checks whether the representative properly assigned direct payment before the favorable decision. If everything is in order and the representative is otherwise eligible, SSA pays the authorized fee for services rendered before the relationship ended.11Social Security Administration. POMS GN 03910.060 – Termination of a Representatives Appointment Switching representatives partway through doesn’t wipe out what the first one earned.