EveryBody's Guide to the Law

You can arrange to have your monthly Social Security checks deposited directly into your
checking or savings account by going to your bank and filling out the proper form—Form SF-
1199. How can you be sure that the bank has received your check? The bank can do one of the
following things: Within two business days of receipt, it can notify you that your check was
received; it can notify you that your check was not received within two business days after it
should have been received; or it can set up a telephone number for you to call to find out
whether your check was received and deposited (this number must appear on your bank
account’s periodic statement).
When to Notify Social Security
If you are receiving benefits, here are some of the times when you need to contact your local
Social Security office:
❉ If you move, change your mailing address, or change your name. (Be sure to report your
address change even if the checks are deposited directly into your bank account, because
the checks can be stopped if Social Security cannot get in touch with you.)
❉ If your checks are deposited automatically into your bank account and you change banks
or accounts.
❉ When the beneficiary of Social Security benefits dies, you should call the Social Security
Administration at (800) 772-1213 or (800) 325-0778 (TTY) immediately to notify Social
Security of the beneficiary’s death. Do not cash any checks received for the month the beneficiary
died or thereafter. You can, however, retain and cash checks for the months prior to
the month in which the beneficiary died. For instance, if the beneficiary dies in August, the
Social Security check he or she receives in August is payment for July’s benefits and does not
have to be returned. However, future checks must be returned to your local Social Security
office. If the benefits were being deposited directly into the beneficiary’s bank account,
promptly notify both Social Security and the bank of the beneficiary’s death.
❉ If the person receiving the benefits becomes physically or mentally incapable of managing
his or her funds. Social Security can arrange to send the checks to a “representative
payee,” such as a close relative or a trusted friend.
❉ If you get a divorce or an annulment and receive benefits as a spouse, a surviving or
divorced spouse, a parent, or a child of the worker.
❉ If a child receiving benefits becomes disabled or is a full-time high school student (otherwise,
benefits automatically terminate when the child turns 18). Also notify Social Security
if a child over 18 who receives benefits as a full-time student leaves school.
❉ If you are receiving retirement benefits, are under your full retirement age, and go back to
work and expect to make more than the annual exempt amount for the year. If you are
under the full retirement age and work or are self-employed outside the United States,
382 Everybody’s Guide to the Law