Form SSA-1696 is the document that tells the Social Security Administration you have appointed someone to represent you on your claim. Until SSA has the completed form on file, no one else can see your records, speak for you at a hearing, or receive copies of notices about your case. You can file it on paper or through SSA’s e1696 online portal, and the paper version goes to whichever SSA office currently has your claim.
Where to Get the Form
You have two ways to complete Form SSA-1696.
The paper route is straightforward. SSA hosts a fillable PDF on its forms page at ssa.gov, and any local field office will give you a blank copy. Use the office locator at ssa.gov/locator to find the nearest one.
The second route is the e1696 portal, which lets you and your representative sign electronically without meeting in person. Your representative starts the process by entering both parties’ email addresses and creating a shared password at SSA’s secure portal. The form then moves through Adobe Sign: the representative fills out and signs their sections first, and you receive a separate email with a link to review, complete your sections, and submit to SSA.
Two timing rules matter here. Both parties must finish their steps within 15 calendar days of initiation, or the form expires and your representative has to start over. The system also times out after 60 minutes of inactivity and deletes any unsaved entries, so gather your information before you begin. If either party loses the shared password, SSA cannot reset it. You will need to start a new form.
How to Fill Out Form SSA-1696
The form collects identifying information from you and your representative, plus details about how the representative will be paid. Blank fields and mismatches are the fastest way to have an appointment rejected.
Your Information
Enter your full legal name, Social Security number, and current mailing address. This information must match what SSA already has on your claim. If you have recently moved or changed your name and have not updated SSA, do that first. A mismatch will slow everything down.
For a claimant under 18, a parent signs the form and makes the appointment. SSA makes one exception: if the agency has determined the minor is capable and does not need a representative payee, that minor can appoint or revoke a representative on their own. A representative payee who is not the child’s parent or guardian cannot sign Form 1696 on the child’s behalf.
Your Representative’s Information
Your representative provides their name, address, phone number, and their Representative Identification number (RepID), which is the unique number SSA assigns when someone registers to represent claimants. The form asks whether the representative is an attorney or a non-attorney, because different rules apply.
A specific field requires the representative to disclose whether they have been disbarred or suspended from any bar or court, or whether they are a former federal employee. Former SSA employees face post-employment restrictions that limit what they can do as a representative, so this disclosure is not optional.
The Fee Arrangement
You have to indicate how your representative will be paid. There are three choices: a fee agreement, a fee petition, or a waiver.
A fee agreement is the more common path. You and your representative agree in advance on a fee, usually 25 percent of any past-due benefits you are awarded. SSA caps this at the lesser of 25 percent or a fixed dollar maximum, currently $9,200 for favorable decisions issued on or after November 30, 2024. If SSA approves the agreement, the agency withholds the fee from your back pay and sends it directly to eligible representatives.
A fee petition works differently. After the work is done, the representative files a detailed request listing every service performed, the time spent, and the fee sought. SSA reviews the petition and decides what to authorize. There is no preset dollar cap, but SSA will only approve a fee it considers reasonable for the services actually provided. Representatives use Form SSA-1560 to file a fee petition.
If the representative is not charging you anything, they must state the waiver explicitly on the form. Leaving the fee section blank is not treated as a waiver. It is treated as an incomplete form.
Signatures
You must sign and date the form to authorize your representative to access your records and act on your behalf. The paper version needs a wet signature. The e1696 portal handles signatures through Adobe Sign.
One detail catches people out: non-attorney representatives must sign the form, but attorneys are not required to. Federal regulations exempt attorneys from the signature requirement, and SSA will still process the appointment for an attorney who has not signed. A missing claimant signature, though, will get the form rejected every time.
Where to Send the Paper Form
If you use the e1696 portal, the form reaches SSA automatically once both parties finish their steps. For paper submissions, where it goes depends on where your claim currently sits:
- Initial application or reconsideration: your servicing local field office, meaning the one handling your claim.
- Hearing level: the Office of Hearing Operations (OHO) location assigned to your case.
- Appeals Council review: the Office of Appellate Operations (OAO).
- Court remand: whichever component, OHO or OAO, currently has the case.
Sending the form to the wrong office is a common mistake, especially after a claim moves from one level to another. If your case was just denied at reconsideration and you have requested a hearing, the form goes to OHO, not your local field office. You can also submit paper forms by fax or through your local office’s drop box.
SSA will not process the form until both the claimant and, for non-attorneys, the representative have completed their sections. Once processed, you and your representative should each receive confirmation that the appointment is on file.
What Happens After SSA Has the Form
Once SSA processes Form 1696, your representative can obtain information about your claim to the same extent you could, submit evidence, make statements about facts and law, and make any request or give any notice related to the proceedings.
In practice, that means pulling your case file, including medical records, prior decisions, and earnings history; appearing at hearings before an Administrative Law Judge; cross-examining vocational or medical experts; submitting written arguments; and requesting deadline extensions when more time is needed to gather evidence.
You do not lose any rights by appointing someone. You can still contact SSA directly, attend your hearings, and participate at every stage. The appointment adds a second authorized person to your claim. It does not replace you. The authority covers your initial application and continues through any administrative appeals unless the appointment is revoked or withdrawn.
On fees: no representative, attorney or otherwise, may collect a fee for work on your Social Security claim without SSA’s authorization, regardless of any private agreement between you. When SSA authorizes a fee and the representative is eligible for direct payment, the agency withholds the fee from your past-due benefits and pays the representative directly. All attorneys are automatically eligible. Non-attorneys must separately qualify as an Eligible for Direct Pay Non-Attorney (EDPNA). Whenever SSA makes a direct payment, it deducts an assessment equal to the lesser of 6.3 percent of the authorized fee or $123.
Changing or Ending the Appointment
The appointment set up by Form 1696 lasts through a final decision and any administrative appeals. It does not carry over to a brand-new claim. If you file a new application later and want the same representative, you will need to submit a new Form 1696.
You can revoke your representative’s appointment at any time by sending SSA a written, signed, and dated statement that identifies the representative by name. SSA offers an optional form for this, Form SSA-1696-SUP1, but any written notice meeting those requirements works. Until SSA processes the revocation, the original representative remains authorized on your claim.
A representative who wants to withdraw follows a parallel process, submitting a signed written notice to both you and SSA on optional Form SSA-1696-SUP2. A representative generally should not withdraw after a hearing has been scheduled, and SSA will evaluate whether the timing disrupts the process. If a new representative takes over, file a fresh Form 1696 for the new appointment.