Can elderly SS retirement recipients get a representative payee without guardianship?

Yes, Social Security retirement beneficiaries CAN have representative payees. It's not limited to just SSDI, SSI or children. I went through this exact process with my father last year. The process is pretty straightforward - you'll need to visit your local SSA office (make an appointment first!) and fill out Form SSA-11 (Request to be Selected as Payee). Your aunt will need to be present. The SSA will want to see evidence of her declining cognitive abilities, so a letter from her doctor describing her condition and why she needs help managing benefits is essential. There are NO fees that SSA charges for this service. Representative payees cannot charge fees either (except for certain organizational payees, but that doesn't apply in your case). One thing to note is that SSA prefers family members as rep payees, so you being a relative is helpful. You'll need to provide your ID, her ID, and be prepared to explain how you'll use her benefits for her needs and how you'll keep records.

The elderely can get rep payees I know since my neighbor has one and shes just on retirement. Its actually not that hard to setup if the person agrees. You just go to social security office with them and fill out some paperwork. Dont think theres any fees but not 100% on that part.

My mother has a rep payee for her SS retirement. The doctor had to write a letter saying she couldn't manage her own money. She was SO MAD at first but now she's actually relieved. Good luck!

I work with seniors, and representative payees are definitely available for retirement beneficiaries who have difficulties managing their finances. The primary criteria is whether the beneficiary can manage their own funds, not what type of benefit they receive. The process requires: 1. Form SSA-11 (Request to be Selected as Payee) 2. Form SSA-787 (Physician's Statement) 3. Your ID and the beneficiary's ID 4. Potentially an in-person interview Ideally, your aunt would agree to this arrangement, but if her cognitive decline is documented by a physician, SSA can appoint a payee even without her full agreement. The SSA will evaluate if she needs a payee based on the medical evidence. One thing to note is that as a rep payee, you'll have to keep records of how you spend her benefits and file an annual accounting with SSA. There are no fees charged by SSA for this service, and family member payees cannot charge fees either. The SSA has a guide for representative payees that I'd recommend reviewing before you start the process: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10076.pdf

Having been through this nightmare with Social Security when trying to help my father, let me tell you what they DON'T tell you upfront: 1. Getting through to make an appointment can take WEEKS. I called every day for 2 weeks and kept getting disconnected. 2. Even with doctor's documentation, they made us come back THREE TIMES because they kept "missing paperwork" that we definitely submitted. 3. During the waiting period, my dad gave away another $2200 to scammers. If you need to actually SPEAK to someone at SSA quickly, use Claimyr.com - it got me through to a real person in under 5 minutes after weeks of failed attempts. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Seriously, this service saved us so much frustration. Once we actually got to TALK to someone, the rep payee process went much more smoothly.

The SSA can be TERRIBLE about this stuff! My mom has dementia but not "bad enough" according to them initially. We had to get multiple doctor letters and it took MONTHS before they approved a payee. Meanwhile she lost almost $5000 to scammers!! Ask for a supervisor if they give you any runaround.

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I've made notes on everything and will be contacting her doctor tomorrow for that documentation. I'll try to schedule an appointment with SSA using the Claimyr service since it sounds like getting through is the first big hurdle. I'm relieved to hear this is possible without full guardianship. I think my aunt will agree once I explain everything carefully - she was actually in tears last week after realizing she'd been scammed, so I think she knows she needs help even if it's hard to admit. I'll update once we get through the process in case it helps others in the same situation.