Form SSA-1693 (12-2018)
Social Security Administration
Page 1 of 5
OMB No. 0960-0810
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FORM SSA-1693
Keep a copy of this form for your records.
File Form SSA-1693 only if you are submitting or have submitted a notice of appointment (i.e., SSA-1696 or equivalent writing) on
an active claim or issue pending decision with us.
In this document, “you” means the claimant, beneficiary, auxiliary beneficiary or spouse.
Requesting a fee for representational services
Your representative may ask for a fee for the services he or she provided in your claim. Not all representatives ask for a fee, and
some only charge a fee if they win your case. To charge you a fee for services related to your claim(s), your representative
generally must obtain our approval. Your representative can do that by submitting a fee agreement (you may use this form) or a
fee petition. You and your representative choose which of these two processes to use. For more information on fees, fee
processes and our rules, visit our website at www.ssa.gov/representation.
Representatives who seek direct payment of their fee must first register with us. For more information on representative
registration visit us on-line at www.socialsecurity.gov/ar, contact us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or contact your
local Social Security office.
Registration
Your representative must file your fee agreement before we decide your case. If you or your representative submit the fee
agreement after our decision, we will disapprove your fee agreement.
When to file a fee agreement
Under the terms of a fee agreement, you will pay an amount up to 25 percent of your total past-due benefits or an amount set by
us, whichever is less. You must pay the fee we authorize. Your dependents or your auxiliary beneficiaries will also pay a fee
unless they have their own representation. You may also have to pay:
• Fees authorized by a Federal court for services your representative provided during the court proceedings, and
• Any “out-of-pocket” expenses your representative may incur (e.g., costs for making copies of a doctor's or hospital's records).
Note: These fees and expenses do not require our authorization.
What you have to pay
Although representatives may only use either a fee agreement or a fee petition in each case (they are mutually exclusive), you
and your representatives can limit the effect of a fee agreement to a certain appeal level. Representatives can file a fee petition if
your case is appealed beyond the specified administrative level. You and your representative can choose this option on the
attached form.
Two-tiered fee agreements
Your representative may accept money from you before we authorize a fee as long as he or she holds it in a trust or escrow
account according to our rules and policy. If you choose to enter into the trust or escrow agreement with your representative, you
may willingly deposit the money in the trust or escrow account.
Trust and escrow accounts
We collect information on payments your representative may receive from a third party for services he or she provided to you
during the administrative proceedings. These fees may be in lieu of your fee payment, or may be in addition to your payment. We
may consider these payments during our authorization process to determine if we need to authorize these fees under our rules.
All statutory and regulatory rules continue to apply in situations involving third-party payments.
Third-party payments
If your representative is eligible under our rules to receive an authorized fee directly from us, we usually withhold 25 percent of
your TII/TXVI past-due (retroactive) benefits for direct payment of that fee. However, you must pay your representative the
authorized fee directly if:
• the amount of the fee we approve is more than the amount held for you in a trust or escrow account, or more than the amount
we can pay to your representative from your past-due benefits,
• we did not withhold past-due benefits,
• your claim did not result in past-due benefits,
• your representative is not eligible under our rules for direct payment of the fee from us,
• you ended the appointment of the representative before we issued a favorable decision,
• your representative withdrew from representing you before we issued a favorable decision,
Withholding of funds and direct payment to your representative