People who serve as representative payees for individuals who receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits now have more options for their annual reporting of how the funds are used.

Representatives, who in the past had to complete a paper Representative Payee Reporting Form each year, can now report online using our secure website.

A representative payee is someone who receives Social Security or SSI payments on behalf of a person who is not capable of managing the funds on their own. Representative payees must use the funds for the benefit of the person entitled to benefits. For example, a payee must use the funds to provide the beneficiary with food, clothing, and shelter.

If you receive a representative payee accounting form to complete, you can take your form to your computer instead of into our office. Just log onto www.socialsecurity.gov/payee.

If it's your first time using this service, you'll need to take a few minutes to register. Once you do, please keep your identification and password in a secure place. You can use it to submit reports in future years.

When you're ready to complete the report online, you'll need to key in the unique code that appears on the paper form we mailed you. Then you'll be able to key in the information. Online features make completing the report easier than doing it on paper.

Once you submit the report, you'll receive a confirmation number as proof that your report was received by Social Security.

It's as easy as that—no paper to fill out by hand, no visits to make, no envelopes to stuff.

If you have questions about registering for this new service, give us a call at 1.800.775.7802. If you are an organizational payee, call 1.800.772.6270. For all other questions, use our regular toll-free number, 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

While you're online, you may want to check out some of the other popular features on our website, www.socialsecurity.gov, such as frequently asked questions, the new online retirement estimator and other online services. You can even watch a brief video about the things you can do on our website.

Ginny Jordan is a Public Affairs Specialist for the Social Security Administration. Her weekly column on all things Social Security appears in the Sunday Edition of the Sun-Sentinel.

Ginny has agreed to let us reprint her articles here for your convenience.

Thank you Ginny!