Can I change my teenage daughter's direct deposit account on Social Security without changing mine?

As a representative payee, you are considered the owner of the account where your daughter's benefits are deposited. The account should be set up as "[Your Name] as representative payee for [Daughter's Name]." When changing the direct deposit information, you would select that you are the owner of the account. This won't affect where your own benefits go - those are handled separately in the system. Hope that helps!

i had this exact problem last yr with my sons account. the website is super confusing!! i ended up just calling and the rep fixed it in like 5 minutes. way easier than trying to figure out their stupid website lol

I went through this same confusion when changing my grandson's account! If you're the representative payee, you ARE considered the owner of the account. Select that option and it will only change your daughter's direct deposit, not yours. The accounts are completely separate in SSA's system. One thing to remember: make sure the new account is properly titled as a representative payee account at the bank. It should show your name as rep payee for your daughter. If it's not set up correctly, you could have problems during your annual representative payee accounting.

The SSA website is THE WORST!! I tried to do something similar and got so confused I gave up. Good luck getting anyone on the phone though - I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through last month!!! 😡

It actually worked for me! I was skeptical but I was desperate to resolve my representative payee issue for my brother. The callback feature meant I didn't have to keep my phone tied up all day. When they connected me, I was talking to an actual SSA agent who fixed my problem.

Representative payee accounts can be confusing! Here's the official guidance: as the representative payee, you are considered the owner of the account even though the funds belong to your daughter. The account should be titled "[Your Name], Representative Payee for [Daughter's Name]" or similar wording depending on your bank's policies. When you select "owner" on the website, you're only changing the account for the specific beneficiary (your daughter) that you're acting as payee for. Your own benefits deposit information is completely separate in SSA's system. That said, if you're concerned about making a mistake, calling is always a safe option. Just be prepared for potentially long wait times.

My daughter turned 18 last year and we had to deal with similar issues. One thing to keep in mind - once she turns 18, the whole representative payee situation changes unless she has been determined to be incapable of managing her own benefits. Just something to prepare for in a couple years!

wait so is ur daughter getting SSI or survivor benefits? or r u getting benefits for her? its different depending on which one

Since you're dealing with survivor benefits, just to clarify: when you go to My Social Security online, you should be logged in under YOUR account (as the representative payee), then navigate to the "Direct Deposit" section. There, you'll see separate entries for beneficiaries you manage. Make sure you're selecting the entry for your daughter's benefits when making the change. This way, there's no chance of affecting your own direct deposit information.