How to Title a Bank Account for a Representative Payee
- Purple
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
If you’ve been appointed as a representative payee by the Social Security Administration (SSA), one of your first steps is to open a bank account specifically for the beneficiary’s funds.
But the way the account is titled matters—a lot.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Why proper titling is required
What the SSA expects
Correct examples of account titles
What to avoid
How Purple makes it easy
1. Why Does Account Titling Matter?
As a rep payee, you are not the owner of the funds—you’re simply managing them on behalf of someone else. That means the money must be kept separate from your own finances.
Proper titling protects:
The beneficiary’s funds from being mixed with yours
You from liability or misuse claims
Eligibility for programs like SSI
Compliance with SSA rules
If the account is titled incorrectly, the SSA may see that as mismanagement or even misuse of funds.
2. What Does SSA Require?
The SSA requires that the beneficiary is clearly identified as the owner of the funds, and that you are shown as the representative payee.
This applies to:
Checking or savings accounts
Any debit card tied to the account
Dedicated accounts for backpay
You must be able to show that funds are used only for the person they’re intended for, and not co-mingled with anyone else’s.
3. Correct Ways to Title the Account
Here are SSA-approved formats for titling a representative payee account:
“[Beneficiary Name] by [Your Name], Rep Payee”
“[Your Name] for [Beneficiary Name]”
“[Beneficiary Name] through [Your Name] as Rep Payee”
Examples:
“Maria Gomez by Joseph Smith, Rep Payee”
“Joseph Smith for Maria Gomez”
The beneficiary’s name must come first to ensure SSA considers the account theirs.
For organizational rep payees, you may also include the agency’s name:
“Carlos Ruiz by ABC Group Home, Rep Payee”
4. What to Avoid
Avoid these common mistakes:
Titled in the payee’s name only (e.g., “John Doe” instead of “John Doe for Jane Smith”)
Joint accounts with the beneficiary
Personal accounts used for multiple people
Business or organization names without naming the beneficiary
Leaving out “rep payee” or a similar term
SSA may disqualify a payee or request a new account be opened if the titling is wrong.
5. How Purple Gets It Right—Automatically
Purple was built for representative payees—so every account is opened and titled correctly from the start.
With Purple:
Each beneficiary has a separate, SSA-compliant account
Titling is structured automatically to meet federal guidelines
You can manage multiple beneficiaries in one place
No need to visit a branch or explain rules to a bank teller
You get rep payee debit cards, spending tools, and audit-ready records
Whether you manage one account or dozens, Purple helps you stay organized—and compliant.