The PayeeKit blog
For family members and guardians managing Social Security benefits for someone else. Every rule in a post is checked against SSA's own pages, and the sources are listed at the end.
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The personal needs allowance in a nursing home
When the person you're payee for lives in a facility, at least $30 a month is theirs to spend. Where that figure comes from, what it can buy, and what it can't.
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A child's SSI dedicated account: what the money can pay for
When SSA pays a child's large past-due SSI into a dedicated account, the money has its own rules. Who needs one, what it can pay for, and what to keep.
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Holiday gifts and SSI: what counts and what doesn't
For someone on SSI, holiday cash and many gift cards count as income, and most presents don't. How SSA's $60 exclusion works, and what to write down.
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SSI in 2027: the new amounts and the December 31 payment
SSI goes up 3.6 percent in 2027, to $1,029 a month for one person. January's payment arrives December 31, and how SSA counts it for the $2,000 limit.
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Reporting changes to SSA: what to tell them, and by when
As a payee, you report changes that affect someone's benefits within 10 days after the month ends. What counts as a change, how to report it, and if it's late.
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ABLE accounts and SSI: what a payee needs to know
An ABLE account lets someone on SSI save past $2,000. Who qualifies since the 2026 age change, the $100,000 rule, and how a payee can use one.
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What records a payee keeps, and for how long
What a representative payee keeps for SSA: receipts, bank statements, bills and a ledger, and why SSA advises keeping them for at least two full calendar years.
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Back pay and the SSI limit: the nine-month exclusion
Unspent SSI or Social Security back pay doesn't count toward the SSI resource limit for nine months. How to count them, and how to keep the money identifiable.
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Keeping the benefits separate from your own money
A payee keeps the benefits apart from their own money, in an account titled to the person. How SSA wants it set up, the one exception, and paying yourself back.
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SSI's $2,000 limit is checked on the first of the month
SSA counts an SSI recipient's savings at the first moment of each month. What that means for a payee, what doesn't count, and how to plan the last week.
