How to Fill Out Form SSA-3288 and Request Your BPQY

To request a Benefits Planning Query from the Social Security Administration, fill out Form SSA-3288 (Consent for Release of Information), write “Benefits Planning Query” in the records-to-be-released section, sign it in pen, and submit it to your local SSA field office by mail, fax, or in person. The BPQY is a snapshot of your disability benefits, scheduled medical reviews, health coverage, and work history pulled from SSA’s electronic records, and SSA provides it free to beneficiaries planning a return to work.¹

Who Can Ask for a BPQY

If you receive SSDI or SSI, you can request your own BPQY directly. You do not need a benefits counselor or advocate to start the process.²

If you want the BPQY sent to someone else, such as a benefits counselor, a vocational rehabilitation agency, an Employment Network under Ticket to Work, or a disability advocate, that person or organization submits a signed SSA-3288 on your behalf.¹ A parent, legal guardian, or a representative payee who is also the beneficiary’s parent or legal guardian can access the BPQY without a separate consent form.²

Filling Out Form SSA-3288

Download the form at ssa.gov/forms/ssa-3288.pdf. Every field marked with an asterisk has to be completed or SSA will not process the request.³

Subject of the record: the beneficiary’s full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number. If you are requesting your own BPQY, this is your information.
Recipient: the name and address of the person or organization you want SSA to send the report to. To have it mailed to you, enter your own address.
Reason for the request: a short explanation such as “employment planning,” “benefits counseling,” or “return-to-work planning.”
Information to be released: check the box labeled “Other” and write “Benefits Planning Query” or “BPQY” in the blank. SSA will not honor blanket requests for “any and all records,” so the specific language matters.³
Signature and date: sign in pen and date the form. SSA requires a wet signature; electronic or typed signatures are not accepted. By signing, you certify under penalty of perjury that the information is true.²
Witnesses: only required if you sign with a mark (X) rather than a written signature. Two witnesses who know you must then sign and provide their addresses.

Where and How to Submit the Form

Send the completed SSA-3288 to the SSA field office that serves the beneficiary’s ZIP code. You can look up the office at ssa.gov/locator.⁴ Three options are available:

In person, during the field office’s business hours.
By mail, to the address listed in the locator results.
By fax, to the office’s fax number, which you can get by calling the office or checking the locator.⁵

There is no fully electronic submission option. The wet-signature rule means you cannot finish the process online.

Turnaround and Cost

Once the field office logs the request, SSA’s internal systems generate the statement and mail it to the address you listed. Requests should be filled within 30 days of submission.

SSA provides the BPQY free when the beneficiary needs the information to plan or start a return to work.¹ The same applies when a Ticket to Work provider, a Work Incentive Planning and Assistance project, a Protection and Advocacy organization, or an Employment Network requests it to assist you.⁶ Because the BPQY exists to support employment transitions, most legitimate requests qualify. There is no standard processing fee.

How Long the Consent Lasts

An SSA-3288 is valid for one-time use unless you specify otherwise on the form, and it expires one year from the date you signed it.³ If you also ask for medical records on the same form, the window shortens to 90 days from your signature date. For ongoing benefits counseling where a counselor may need updated BPQYs over time, you will sign a new SSA-3288 each time.

What You Will Receive

The BPQY organizes your information into sections covering cash benefits (type of benefit, current payment status, disability onset date, entitlement date, gross and net payment amounts), scheduled medical reviews and any representative payee or appointed representative on file, Medicare and Medicaid coverage details, SSI work incentives, and SSDI trial work period and substantial gainful activity history.² Read through it as soon as it arrives so you can catch errors while the reason for the request is still fresh.

If Something on the BPQY Is Wrong

The BPQY only reflects what SSA has in its electronic records, and errors do show up. Common ones include trial work months counted incorrectly, outdated benefit amounts, and missing periods of SSI eligibility. Contact your local field office and bring documentation supporting the correct information: pay stubs for work history disputes, award letters for benefit amount discrepancies, medical records for incorrect review dates.

You can also submit a written correction on Form SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant or Other Person), a general-purpose form for providing information to SSA under penalty of perjury.⁷ Attach your supporting documents and submit the statement to the same field office. Once the correction is made, request a new BPQY to confirm the update. You will need a fresh SSA-3288, because the original consent was good for one use.

1
Social Security Administration. What Assistance Is Available For Work Incentives and Employment Supports
2
Social Security Administration. Benefits Planning Query Handbook
3
Social Security Administration. Consent for Release of Information
4
Social Security Administration. Field Office Locator
5
Social Security Administration. Submit a Privacy Act Request for Your or Another Person’s Records
6
Virginia Commonwealth University National Training and Data Center. Tips for Interpreting the Benefits Planning Query
7
Social Security Administration. Statement of Claimant or Other Person