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Ready to get Federal Benefits?

When you’re ready to apply, you should contact the government agency that will be providing your federal benefit payments.

  • Social Security
  • Supplemental Security Income
  • Veterans Affairs
  • Railroad Retirement Board
  • Office of Personnel Management
  • Department of Labor (Black Lung)

Click on one of the logos below to visit that agency's website.

Social Security Administration U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Office of Personnel Management Department of Labor (Black Lung)

When you begin to receive any of these federal benefits, you are required by law to receive your payments electronically. You must choose to receive your payments through direct deposit to your bank or credit union account or to a Direct Express® Debit Mastercard® card when you apply for federal benefits. This will ensure you get your federal benefit payments in the safest, most reliable way possible.

Choose an Electronic Payment Method

Before You Begin Enrollment

A separate enrollment for each payment you are signing up. You will need the following information for each payment you wish to enroll:

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Benefit Recipient's Social Security Number

The benefit recipient's own personal SSN should always be used on the enrollment. The recipient's own SSN may or may not be the SSN on which the benefits are drawn. However, the individual recipient's SSN will always be included on the enrollment record. In cases such as minor children, the SSN will always be the CHILD's SSN and not that of the adult account holder (representative payee) who is also named on the benefit check and the financial institution's records. In no case is the representative payee's SSN ever used on the enrollment.

Some documents indicate that the recipient's claim number may be used in place of the SSN on an enrollment. This is not correct. The enrollment should always use the benefit recipient's SSN - Agency claim number formats do not fit into the Go Direct® online enrollment record.

Enroll Online
Claim Number or Check Number

Notice: You must have one of these two numbers for each payment you are intending to enroll. Without this information, you will not be able to complete the enrollment. If you do not have this information, we recommend that you wait until you receive your next payment in the mail, obtain that check number and then complete the enrollment.

Check Image

Check Number

The check number is found in the upper right hand corner of your Federal benefit check.It is 12-digits long. It will be 4 numbers a space and then 8 numbers.

Claim Number

A claim number or payee-id is the number assigned by the paying agency to track the benefit recipient. A claim number generally consists of 8-10 numbers, and may include one or more letters. The claim number is not on the recipient's check, but can be found on correspondence or other documentation issued from the paying agency to the recipient.

Sample Claim Number formats: 123456789A, 123456789D, 123456789C3

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Names and Address Information

In all cases, the enrollment is for the benefit recipient and not a representative payee. The benefit recipient's name will always be included on the enrollment. If applicable, the representative's name will be entered for administrative tracking purposes, but it should never be used as the benefit recipient name. There are separate entry forms for a single benefit recipient (no representative payee) and a payee who has a representative.

The name(s) must match the federal paying agency's records. Therefore, the name should be entered on the enrollment record EXACTLY as it appears on the benefit payment check.

All address line information must be entered exactly - in order - as it appears on the federal benefit checks.

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Payment Amount

You will need to provide the exact dollar amount of your most recent monthly benefit payment. If you are just beginning to receive benefits, or have received a lump-sum payment, you may need to enter that amount, or the amount of your monthly award. If you have not yet received a monthly check, you will not be able to enroll at this time.

Check Image
Enroll Online
Bank Account and Routing Number

You will need your financial institution's routing number to setup direct deposit. The Routing Number electronically identifies your bank. You can obtain this information from different places depending on the type of account you'd like to use for direct deposit.

Checking Account

You can find your bank's routing number and your account number on your checks.

Check Image

Savings Account

You can usually find your account number on your statement or passbook.

If you have a checking account at the same bank where your saving account is held, you may use the routing number from the bottom of your personal check. The routing number will be the same for both a checking and savings account. Or you may have to call your bank or credit union and ask for the routing number.

Investment Account

Call your investment company. Ask for the routing number and account number for direct deposit.

Enroll Online

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Bank Account Number”. Required field.
Bank Account Number

See the example image.

The bank account number can be found in the lower left-hand section, to the right of the bank routing number.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Bank Account Number”. Required field.
Bank Account Number

See the example image.

The bank account number can be found in the lower left-hand section, to the right of the bank routing number.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Bank Routing Number”. Required field.
Bank Routing Number

See the example image.

The routing number can be found in the lower left-hand section.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Bank Account Number”. Required field.
Bank Account Number

See the example image.

The bank account number can be found in the lower left-hand section, to the right of the bank routing number.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Bank Account Number”. Required field.
Bank Account Number

See the example image.

The bank account number can be found in the lower left-hand section, to the right of the bank routing number.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Bank Routing Number”. Required field.
Bank Routing Number

See the example image.

The routing number can be found in the lower left-hand section.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Check Number”. Required field.
Check Number

See the example image.

The check number can be found in the upper right-hand section.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Claim Number”. Required field.
Claim Number

See the example image.

The claim number can be found on a Medicare card or 1099 form.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Payment Amount”. Required field.
Payment Amount

See the example image.

The amount can be found directly below the check number.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Benefit Recipient First Name”. Required field.
Benefit Recipient First Name

See the example image.

The first name can be found in the “Pay To The Order” section.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Benefit Recipient Middle Name”. Only required if present on check.
Checking Account Number

See the example image.

The middle name immediately follows the first name.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Benefit Recipient Last Name”. Required field.
Checking Account Number

See the example image.

The last name immediately follows the first name or middle name when present.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Benefit Recipient Suffix”. Only required if present on check.
Checking Account Number

See the example image.

The suffix immediately follows the last name.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Representative Payee”. Only required if present on check.
Representative Payee

See the example image.

The Representative Payee is the proceeding name before the Benefit Recipient's name.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Benefit Recipient Address”. Required field.
Benefit Recipient Address

See the example image.

The address can be found directly under the Benefit Recipient's name.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “International Addresses”. Optional field.
International Addresses

Is this an international address?

SSA recipients check here to denote this is an international address if you live outside of the U.S., Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Territory.

NOTICE: Go Direct can only enroll payments with International addresses for recipients of Social Security benefits. If you receive any other benefit payment type and reside internationally, or do not have an account with a U.S. bank or credit union, you may not enroll online through Go Direct. For more information on how to complete your international enrollment please click here. More information...

Social Security recipients:

If you live outside the United States but do not have an account with a U.S. bank or credit union you may write the Social Security Administration at: Social Security Administration Office of International Operations P.O. Box 17775 Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7775 for more information on international payment options. Or visit them online at:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10137.html or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/foreign/

Veterans Compensation and Pension recipients:

If you live outside the United States and want to sign up for direct deposit please contact the VA at: http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/foreign/forfaq.htm

Office of Personnel Management (Civil Service) benefit recipients:

Retirees, annuitants, and survivor annuitants already receiving benefits, but living outside the United States that want to sign up for direct deposit please contact the Office of Personnel Management (Civil Service) by calling1 (888) 767-6738.

Railroad Retirement Board:

Recipients already receiving Railroad Retirement (RRB) benefits, but living outside the United States that want to sign up for direct deposit please contact the nearest Railroad Retirement Board office or call the Railroad Retirement Board at 1-877-772-5772. For instructions on International Direct Deposits visit RRB online at:

http://www.rrb.gov/PandS/IDD.asp or download the International Direct Deposit Form
http://www.rrb.gov/pdf/PandS/OF_1199I.pdf

Department of Labor benefit recipients:

A toll-free number has been designated for each of the nine Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation district offices. Visit the Department of Labor web site. For a list of district offices and their phone numbers.

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Beginning of help description tool-tip. It begins with a heading 5 called “Corporation Acting As Representative Payee”. Only required if acting as representative payee.
Corporation Acting As Representative Payee

Check this option if you represent a corporation which is acting as a representative payee.

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rev:12/30/2020