How to Complete a Social Security Authorization Form

To complete Form SSA-3288, the Social Security Administration’s Consent for Release of Information, you fill in your identifying information, name the person or organization receiving the records, state a concrete reason for the disclosure, check only the boxes for the specific record types you need with date ranges where required, and sign and date the form with a handwritten signature. Then you send it to the local Social Security office that serves the area where the record holder lives, or submit it electronically if you qualify. Every required field must be filled in, and vague or overly broad requests get sent back.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Gather everything before you open the form. Incomplete submissions get rejected, and every field marked with an asterisk is mandatory.¹

Your full legal name, Social Security number, and date of birth.
The full name, mailing address, and contact information of the person or organization that will receive your records.
The specific date ranges for the records you want. The SSA will not honor blanket requests for “any and all records” or “the entire file.”
A short, concrete reason for the disclosure, such as a loan application, pending litigation, or coordination of government benefits.

If your request spans multiple years or involves both medical and non-medical information, work out the exact date ranges and record types before you sit down with the form. Vague or overly broad requests are the fastest way to get the form returned.

Filling In the Form

You can download the SSA-3288 from the SSA website or pick up a paper copy at any local Social Security office.¹ The form is two pages. The first page is where you enter your information and sign; the second page contains the SSA’s instructions.

Start with your full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number in the first section. Then enter the name and address of the person or organization you’re authorizing to receive the information. In the field asking for the reason for disclosure, write something concrete. “Applying for a mortgage” or “pending disability appeal” works. “Personal reasons” may not.

Check the boxes that correspond to the records you want released. The form lists items including your current monthly Social Security benefit amount, your Supplemental Security Income payment amount, Medicare entitlement dates, medical records from your claims file, benefit applications, award or denial notices, and appeal requests.¹ Only check what you actually need. Where a checkbox asks for a date range, fill it in. The SSA will not process the request without it.

The Medical Records Boxes

The most common mistake on this form involves the medical records checkboxes. Box 7 covers medical records from a specific date range, and Box 8 covers complete medical records. The form explicitly instructs you not to check both. Pick one. If you need records from a specific period, use Box 7 and fill in the date range. If you need your full medical file, use Box 8 alone.¹

Any consent that includes medical records expires 90 days from the date you sign, compared to one year for requests that don’t involve medical records. If you sign the form and hold onto it for weeks before submitting, you can burn most of that window before the SSA even sees it.

Signing the Form

Above the signature line, the form’s declaration states that everything you’ve entered is true and correct under penalty of perjury. Paper submissions require a handwritten, “wet” signature. If you sign with a mark (X) instead of a written signature, two witnesses who know you must also sign the form and provide their full addresses.¹

Signing for Someone Else

The SSA allows certain people to sign the SSA-3288 on behalf of another individual, with rules that vary by situation.²

A legal guardian for an adult who has been declared legally incompetent can sign a paper SSA-3288 on that person’s behalf. You’ll need proof of your guardianship appointment, typically a copy of the court order, either already on file with the SSA or submitted alongside the consent. The SSA does not accept electronic consent submitted on behalf of incompetent adults.

Parents and legal guardians of minor children can consent to the release of the child’s non-medical records if the SSA has documentation of the relationship, such as a birth certificate or adoption order. A parent or guardian cannot use the SSA-3288 to release a minor child’s medical records at all. For those, you have to visit a local Social Security office in person or call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778).¹

When someone signs on another person’s behalf, only paper submissions with wet signatures are accepted. The person signing must be acting in the interest of the record holder, not their own. The SSA will refuse to process consent where the signer’s purpose appears to serve themselves.

How to Submit the Completed Form

Send or deliver the signed form to the local Social Security office that services the area where the record holder lives. The office locator at ssa.gov/locator will find the right office by address, city, state, or ZIP code.³

Paper forms can be mailed to the local office or delivered in person. The SSA also accepts copies of wet-signed forms sent by fax, provided the faxed copy clearly shows the original handwritten signature.⁴ You don’t need to include supporting documents unless the SSA or the receiving party has specifically asked for them.

Submitting Electronically

The SSA offers an electronic consent option at ssa.gov/privacy/electronic_request_for_consent_to_disclose.html, but not everyone qualifies:⁵

You must be 18 or older.
You must be the record holder yourself. The SSA will not accept electronic consent submitted on behalf of another person.
You’ll need to verify your identity online before the system lets you proceed.

The electronic option covers the same categories of records as the paper form: SSN verification, benefit amounts, Medicare entitlement, medical records from claims folders, applications, award notices, denial notices, and appeal requests. Guardians signing for someone else and parents seeking a child’s records are limited to paper.

How Long the Consent Lasts

Two limits control validity. The form is good for one-time use only unless you specifically state otherwise on the form. And whether or not you authorize ongoing use, the consent expires one year from the date of your signature for non-medical records, or 90 days for requests that include medical records.¹

The one-time-use default catches people off guard. If the third party needs the same information again six months later, your original form won’t work even if the one-year clock hasn’t run out, unless you wrote on the form that you were authorizing more than a single disclosure. When in doubt, specify on the form whether the consent covers a single release or ongoing disclosures within the validity period.

Revoking the Authorization

You can revoke your consent at any time before it expires. Revocation requires a written request submitted to the SSA.⁶ Include your full name, Social Security number, and a clear statement that you are withdrawing the consent you previously gave. Adding the date of the original authorization helps the SSA find the right record.

Revocation only stops future disclosures. It cannot undo information the SSA already released while the consent was active. Notify the third party directly that you’ve revoked their access, so they don’t keep requesting records and wonder why the SSA refuses.

What the SSA-3288 Will Not Do

Two boundaries worth knowing before you file. The SSA-3288 does not cover detailed earnings history. If you need certified yearly earnings totals or an itemized earnings statement, you’ll need the separate Form SSA-7050, which carries its own fees.⁷ And the SSA-3288 only allows someone to receive your records. It does not authorize that person to act on your behalf, file paperwork for you, or make decisions about your claim. To appoint a representative before the SSA, file a separate Form SSA-1696.⁸

1
Social Security Administration. Consent for Release of Information
2
Social Security Administration. GN 03305.005 – Consent on Behalf of Others
3
Social Security Administration. Field Office Locator
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Social Security Administration. GN 03305.003 – Consent Documents
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Social Security Administration. Submit an Electronic Consent to Disclose Records
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Social Security Administration. GN 03305.002 – Limitations on Disclosure with Consent – Section: Revocation of the Consent
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Social Security Administration. How Can I Get a Detailed Earnings Statement
8
Social Security Administration – Program Operations Manual System (POMS). Claimant’s Consent to Disclosure of His or Her Records