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Notice2025-16598

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request

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Published

August 29, 2025

Issuing agencies

Social Security Administration

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 166 (Friday, August 29, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 166 (Friday, August 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42294-42299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16598]

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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2025-0157]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request

The Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of
information collection packages requiring clearance by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with Public Law 104-13, the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, effective October 1, 1995. This notice
includes revisions of OMB-approved information collections.
SSA is soliciting comments on the accuracy of the agency's burden
estimate; the need for the information; its practical utility; ways to
enhance its quality, utility, and clarity; and ways to minimize burden
on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology. Mail, email, or fax your
comments and recommendations on the information collection(s) to the
OMB Desk Officer and SSA Reports Clearance Officer at the following
addresses or fax numbers.
(OMB) Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for SSA.
(SSA) Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Reports Clearance
Director, Mail Stop 3253 Altmeyer, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD
21235, Fax: 833-410-1631, Email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#753a275b2710051a0701065b3619101407141b1610350606145b121a03"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d79885f985b2a7b8a5a3a4f994bbb2b6a5b6b9b4b297a4a4b6f9b0b8a1">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
Or you may submit your comments online through <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain</a> by clicking on Currently under
Review--Open for Public Comments and choosing to click on one of SSA's
published items. Please reference Docket ID Number [SSA-2025-0157] in
your submitted response.
I. The information collections below are pending at SSA. SSA will
submit them to OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. To be
sure we consider your comments, we must receive them no later than
October 28, 2025. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection
instrument by writing to the above email address.
1. Statement Regarding Marriage--20 CFR 404.726--0960-0017. Section
216(h)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (Act) directs SSA to apply
State law to determine an individual's marital relationship. Some state
laws recognize marriages without a ceremony (i.e., common-law
marriages). In such cases, SSA provides the same spouse or widow(er)
benefits to the common-law spouses as it does to ceremonially married
spouses. To determine common-law spouses, SSA must elicit information
from blood relatives or

[[Page 42295]]

other persons who are knowledgeable about the alleged common-law
relationship. SSA uses Form SSA-753, Statement Regarding Marriage, to
collect information from third parties to verify the applicant's
statements about intent; cohabitation; and holding out to the public as
married, which are the basic tenets of a common-law marriage. SSA uses
the information to determine if a valid marital relationship exists,
and if the common-law spouse is entitled to Social Security spouse, or
widow(er) benefits. The respondents are blood relatives of the worker
or claimant for spouse's or widow(er)'s benefits, or other third
parties who can confirm or deny an alleged common-law marriage.

Note: SSA is making minor language changes to the SSA-753 for
clarity and consistency with other agency forms and updating the
Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Statements to comply with
current legal requirements.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

2. Report to United States Social Security Administration by Person
Receiving Benefits for a Child or for an Adult Unable to Handle Funds/
Report to the United States Social Security Administration--0960-0049.
Section 203(c) of the Act requires the Commissioner of SSA to make
benefit deductions and provides for the Commissioner to impose penalty
deductions on benefits of individuals who fail to make timely reports
of events, which are cause for deductions. SSA uses Forms SSA-7161-OCR-
SM and SSA-7162-OCR-SM to: (1) determine continuing entitlement to
Social Security benefits; (2) correct benefit amounts for beneficiaries
outside the United States (U.S.); and (3) monitor the performance of
representative payees outside the U.S. We collect this mandatory
information via mail as an annual (or every other year, depending on
the country of residence) review for fraud prevention. In addition, the
results can affect benefits by increasing or decreasing payment amount
or by causing SSA to suspend or terminate benefits. The respondents are
individuals living outside the United States who are receiving benefits
on their own (or on behalf of someone else) under Title II of the Act.

Note: SSA is making minor instructional changes to these forms
in accordance with Public Law 115-165 which exempts certain
representative payees from the annual accounting requirement. We are
also updating the Privacy Act Statement on these forms to comply
with current legal requirements.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

3. Certificate of Coverage Request--20 CFR 404.1913--0960-0554. The
U.S, has agreements with 30 foreign countries to eliminate double
Social Security coverage and taxation where, except for the provisions
of the agreement, a worker would be subject to coverage and taxes in
both countries. Each Agreement contains rules: (1) for determining
which country's laws cover the period of work, and to which system the
worker pays taxes; and (2) that assign a worker's coverage to the
country where the worker has the greater economic attachment. The
agreements further dictate that, upon the request of the worker or
employer, the country under whose system the period of work is covered
will issue a certificate of coverage. The certificate serves as proof
of exemption from coverage and taxation under the system of the other
country. The information we collect assists us in determining a
worker's coverage and in issuing a U.S. certificate of coverage as
appropriate. Per our agreements, we ask a set number of questions to
the workers and employers prior to issuing a certificate of coverage;
however, our agreements with thirteen of the countries (Denmark,
Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain, Uraguay,
Belgium, Poland, France, and Japan) require us to ask a few more
questions in those countries. Respondents are workers and employers
wishing to establish exemption from foreign Social Security taxes.

Note: SSA is updating the Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction
Act Statements on these forms to comply with current legal
requirements.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

[[Page 42296]]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average Estimated theoretical Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of burden per total annual hourly cost opportunity
respondents response response burden amount cost
(minutes) (hours) (dollars) * (dollars) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Requests via Letter--Individuals (minus Denmark, 43 1 40 29 * $32.66 ** $947
Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy,
Spain, Uruguay, France, Japan, Belgium, and Poland)....
Requests via Internet--Individuals (minus Denmark, 995 1 40 663 * 32.66 ** 21,654
Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy,
Spain, Uruguay, France, Japan, Belgium, and Poland)....
Requests via Letter--Individuals in Denmark, Iceland, 1\+\ 1 1 0 * 32.66 ** 0
Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden........................
Requests via Internet--Individuals in Denmark, Iceland, 122 1 41 83 * 32.66 ** 2,711
Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden........................
Requests via Letter--Individuals in Germany, Italy, 12 1 44 9 * 32.66 ** 294
Spain, Uruguay.........................................
Requests via Internet--Individuals in Germany, Italy, 1,013 1 41 692 * 32.66 ** 22,601
Spain, Uruguay.........................................
Requests via Letter--Individuals in France and Japan.... 10 1 44 7 * 32.66 ** 229
Requests via Internet--Individuals in France and Japan.. 1,023 1 40 682 * 32.66 ** 22,274
Requests via Letter--Individuals in Belgium............. 0 1 41 0 * 32.66 ** 0
Requests via Internet--Individuals in Belgium........... 51 1 41 35 * 32.66 ** 1,143
Requests via Letter--Individuals in Poland.............. 2 1 41 1 * 32.66 ** 33
Requests via Internet--Individuals in Poland............ 52 1 41 36 * 32.66 ** 1,161
Requests via Letter--Employer (minus Denmark, Iceland, 76 1 40 51 * 32.66 ** 1,666
Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Uruguay, France, Japan, Belgium, and Poland)...........
Requests via Internet--Employer (minus Denmark, Iceland, 7,664 1 40 5109 * 32.66 ** 166,860
Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Uruguay, France, Japan, Belgium, and Poland)...........
Requests via Letter--Employer in Denmark, Iceland, 4 1 44 3 * 32.66 ** 98
Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden........................
Requests via Internet--Employer in Denmark, Iceland, 1,347 1 44 988 * 32.66 ** 32,268
Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden........................
Requests via Letter--Employer in Germany, Italy, Spain, 22 1 41 15 * 32.66 ** 490
Uruguay................................................
Requests via Internet--Employer in Germany, Italy, 3,601 1 41 2461 * 32.66 ** 80,376
Spain, Uruguay.........................................
Requests via Letter--Employer in France and Japan....... 12 1 41 8 * 32.66 ** 261
Requests via Internet--Employer in France and Japan..... 4,073 1 41 2783 * 32.66 ** 90,893
Requests via Letter--Employer in Belgium................ 1 1 44 1 * 32.66 ** 33
Requests via Internet--Employer in Belgium.............. 434 1 41 297 * 32.66 * *9,700
Requests via Letter--Employer in Poland................. 1 1 41 1 * 32.66 ** 33
Requests via Internet--Employer in Poland............... 210 1 41 144 * 32.66 ** 4,703
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.................................................. 20,123 .............. .............. 13,656 .............. ** 460,425
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ We are including a one-hour placeholder burden for the information collection for which we currently have no responses (mostly the mailed/faxed
letters, as we do not receive these often, since we collect almost all responses via our internet-based forms). While respondents may use this
modality if the system goes down, in general, they prefer to use the internet submission process.
* We based this figure on average U.S. citizen's hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Occupational Employment and Wage
Statistics).
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
respondents to complete the application.

4. Disability Report--Child--20 CFR 416.912--0960-0577--Sections
223(d)(5)(A) and 1631(e)(1) of the Social Security Act require
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claimants to furnish medical and
other evidence to prove they are disabled. SSA uses Form SSA-3820-BK to
collect information regarding a child applying for SSI disability
payments. The information we collect on the SSA-3820-BK then provides
the State Disability Determination Services (DDS) adjudicators a
detailed explanation of a child's medical history that is essential to
the disability determination. SSA uses Form SSA-3820-BK to collect
contact and biographic information about a child. It also includes
details pertaining to the child's condition including medical treating
sources, medications being taken, medical tests, educational
background, and work history if relevant. The State (DDS) evaluators
use the information from Form SSA-3820-BK, including its electronic
versions, to request and develop medical and school evidence, and to
assess the alleged disability. The information collected on the form,
together with medical evidence and other sources of non-medical
evidence, provides the evidentiary basis upon which SSA makes its
initial disability evaluation. The respondents are the responsible
adult(s) applying on behalf of the child, such as the parents,
guardians, and other caretakers who petition SSI childhood disability
for initial and reconsideration decisions.

Note: SSA is updating the Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction
Act Statements on these forms to comply with current legal
requirements.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

[[Page 42297]]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average wait
Average Estimated Average time in field Total annual
Number of Frequency of burden per total theoretical office or opportunity
Modality of completion respondents response response annual hourly cost teleservice cost (dollars)
(minutes) burden amount center **
(hours) (dollars) * (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-3820 Paper Version...................... 771 1 90 1,157 $13.30 ** 23 *** $19,325
EDCS Intranet Version....................... 255,984 1 120 511,968 13.30 ** 102 *** 12,596,975
i3820 Internet Version...................... 96,481 1 120 192,962 13.30 .............. *** 2,566,395
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.................................. 353,236 .............. .............. 706,087 ............ .............. *** 15,182,695
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on the average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2025 data (<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2024FactSheet.pdf">https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2024FactSheet.pdf</a>).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2025 wait times for field offices (23 minutes) and for teleservice centers (180 minutes), based on SSA's
current management information data. This figure reflects the data posted on our public facing website (800 number performance [verbar] SSA) on the
date we drafted this notice. As the figures fluctuate daily, the wait times may be different on the publication date of this notice.
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
respondents to complete the application.

5. Incorporation by Reference of Oral Findings of Fact and
Rationale in Wholly Favorable Written Decisions (Bench Decision
Regulation)--20 CFR 404.953 and 416.1453--0960-0694. If an
administrative law judge (ALJ) makes a wholly favorable oral decision,
including all the findings and rationale for the decision for a
claimant of Title II or Title XVI payments, at an administrative
appeals hearing, the ALJ sends a Notice of Decision (Form HA-82), as
the records from the oral hearing preclude the need for a written
decision. We call this the incorporation-by-reference process. In
addition, the regulations for this process state that if the involved
parties want a record of the oral decision, they may submit a written
request for these records. SSA collects identifying information under
the aegis of Sections 20 CFR 404.953 and 416.1453 of the Code of
Federal Regulations to determine how to send interested individuals
written records of a favorable incorporation-by-reference oral decision
made at an administrative review hearing. Since there is no prescribed
form to request a written record of the decision, the involved parties
send SSA their contact information and reference the hearing for which
they would like a record. The respondents are applicants for Disability
Insurance Benefits and SSI payments, or their representatives, to whom
SSA gave a wholly favorable oral decision under the regulations cited
above.

Note: SSA is updating the burden information for the HA-82
(specifically to show a significant decrease in the number of
respondents), which decreases the overall time burden for this
information collection.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

6. Advance Designation of Representative Payee--0960-0814. On April
13, 2018, the President signed into law The Strengthening Protections
for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018, also known as Public Law
(Pub. L.) 115-165. Section 201 of the law allows SSA beneficiaries and
applicants under Title II, Title VIII and Title XVI, of the Social
Security Act to designate individuals to serve as a representative
payee should the need arise in the future. Section 201(j)(2) of Public
Law 115-165 provides the requirements for selecting a qualified
representative payee. SSA only offers the option to advance designate
to capable adults and emancipated minors. Beneficiaries who have an
assigned representative payee, or have a representative application in
process, cannot advance designate. SSA uses Form SSA-4547, Advance
Designation of Representative Payee, or the electronic modalities for
this form [the internet i4547 (available through both iClaim and an
individual's mySocial Security account), and Intranet SSI Claim System,
Modernized Claim System (MCS), and iMain System screens] to allow
beneficiaries or applicants the option to designate individuals in
order of priority, to serve as a representative. Beneficiaries or
applicants can update or change the advance designee order of priority
at any time. SSA uses the information on Form SSA-4547 or its
equivalent modalities to select a qualified representative payee in
order of priority. If the selected representative payee is unable or
unwilling to serve, or does not meet SSA requirements, SSA selects
another representative payee to serve in the beneficiaries and
applicant's best interest. SSA notifies beneficiaries annually of the
individuals they chose in advance to be their representative payee. The
respondents are SSA beneficiaries and claimants who want to designate
individuals to serve as a representative payee should the need arise in
the future.

Note: SSA is removing the Advance Designation of Representative
Payee receipts which means we will no longer send receipts to all
customers. This change will decrease the overall cost of this
information collection. Respondents will still be able to access
their Advance Designation information from their mySocial Security
accounts.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

[[Page 42298]]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average wait
Estimated Average time for a
Number of Frequency of Average burden total annual theoretical field office Total annual
Modality of completion respondents response per response burden hourly cost or teleservice opportunity cost
(minutes) (hours) amount center (dollars) ***
(dollars) * (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submission of Advance Designation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intranet version (Paper Form SSA-4547, \+\ 693,339 1 6 69,334 * $22.98 ** 102 *** $28,679,270
SSI Claims System, MCS, iMain).......
Internet version (mySocial Security).. 304,471 1 6 30,447 * 22.98 .............. *** 699,672
Internet version (iClaim)............. 898,233 1 6 89,823 * 22.98 .............. *** 2,064,133
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................ 1,896,043 .............. .............. 189,604 .............. .............. *** 31,443,075
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waiver of Advance Designation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intranet version (Paper Form SSA-4547, 1,507,403 1 2 50,247 * 22.98 ** 102 **** 8,082,709
SSI Claims System, MCS, iMain).......
Internet version (mySSA).............. 1,442 1 2 48 * 22.98 .............. **** 1,103
Internet version (iClaim)............. 1,498,363 1 2 49,945 * 22.98 .............. **** 1,147,736
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................ 3,007,208 .............. .............. 100,240 .............. .............. **** 9,231,548
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................ 4,903,251 .............. .............. 289,844 .............. .............. *** 40,674,623
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\+\ SSA enters advance designation information we receive on the paper Form SSA-4547 in the advanced designation representative payee system using one
of the Intranet applications. Accordingly, we have included the paper form responses in this figure for Intranet responses.
** We based this figure by averaging both the average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2025 data (<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2024FactSheet.pdf">https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2024FactSheet.pdf</a>), and the average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Occupational Employment and Wage
Statistics).
*** We based this figure on the average FY 2025 wait times for field offices (23 minutes) and for teleservice centers (180 minutes), based on SSA's
current management information data. This figure reflects the data posted on our public facing website (800 number performance [verbar] SSA) on the
date we drafted this notice. As the figures fluctuate daily, the wait times may be different on the publication date of this notice.
**** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
respondents to complete the application.

7. Electronic Consent Based Social Security Number Verification--20
CFR 400.100--0960-0817. The electronic Consent Based Social Security
Number Verification (eCBSV) is a fee-based Social Security Number (SSN)
verification service that allows permitted entities (a financial
institution as defined by Section 509 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. 42
U.S.C. 405b(b)(4), Public Law 115-174, Title II, 215(b)(4), or service
provider, subsidiary, affiliate, agent, subcontractor, or assignee of a
financial institution), to verify that an individual's name, date of
birth (DOB), and SSN match our records based on the SSN holder's
signed--including electronic--consent in connection with a credit
transaction or any circumstance described in section 604 of the Fair
Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681b).

Background

We created this service due to section 215 of the Economic Growth,
Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 (Banking Bill),
Public Law 115-174. Permitted entities are able to submit an SSN, name,
and DOB of the number holder in connection with a credit transaction or
any circumstances described in Section 604 of the Fair Credit Reporting
Act to SSA for verification via an application programming interface.
The purpose of the information collection is for SSA to verify for the
permitted entity (PE) that the submitted SSN, name and DOB matches, or
does not match, the data contained in our records. After obtaining
number holders' consents, a PE submits the names, DOBs, and SSNs of
number holders to the eCBSV service. SSA matches the information
against our Master File, using SSN, name, and DOB. The eCBSV service
responds in real time with an indication as to whether there is a match
with a ``yes'' or ``no'' response, along with details specifying which
data element(s) do not align with SSA records. Additionally, if
applicable, the SSN verification result indicates the status of the
individual's death based on data in SSA's records. The verification
does not authenticate the identity of the number holders or
conclusively prove the number holders we verify are who they claim to
be. Respondents can find up-to-date information on the service,
eligibility, fees, enrollment, technical specifications, and guides to
written consent on the eCBSV website.

Consent Requirements

Under the eCBSV process, the PE does not submit the number holder's
consent forms to SSA. SSA requires each PE to retain a valid consent
for each SSN verification request submitted for a period of 5 years.
The agency permits the PE to retain the consent in an electronic
format.
SSA requires a wet or electronic signature on the consent. A PE may
request verification of a number holder's SSN on behalf of a financial
institution pursuant to the terms of the Banking Bill, the user
agreement between SSA and the PE, and the SSN Holder's consent. In this
case, the PE ensures that the financial institution agrees to the terms
in the user agreement, which require the PE use the SSN verification
only for the purpose stated in the consent, and to mark their own
records as ``verified'' or ``unverified,'' and prohibits entities from
further using or disclosing the SSN verification. This relationship is
subject to the terms in the user agreement between SSA and the PE.

Compliance Review

SSA requires each PE to undergo compliance reviews. An SSA approved
certified public accountant (CPA) conducts the compliance reviews. SSA
designed the compliance reviews to ensure that the permitted entities
meet all terms and conditions of the user agreement, including that the
permitted entities obtain valid consent from number holders. The PE
pays all compliance review costs through the eCBSV fees. In general,
every permitted entity is subject to an initial audit then

[[Page 42299]]

once within five (5) years based on compliance. The CPA follows review
standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants and contained in the Generally Accepted Government Auditing
Standards (GAGAS).
eCBSV is available to all interested permitted entities, as defined
in section 215 of the Banking Bill with an estimated annual 58,000,000
requests. The respondents to the eCBSV information collection are the
permitted entities; members of the public who consent to SSN
verifications; and CPAs who provide compliance review services.

Note: Per OMB's Terms of Clearance, SSA is allowing for public
comment on several minor changes to the User Agreement which OMB
approved via Change Request. These minor changes enhance the match/
no match data we provide to include which elements do not align with
our records; minor language changes to update language which
discusses the match/no match data process; revisions to the
agreement period and tier levels to allow for greater flexibility in
costs and utilization; and to update language for clarity purposes.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

Time Burden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average burden Estimated theoretical Total annual
Requirement Number of Frequency of per response total annual hourly cost opportunity
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours) amount cost (dollars)
(dollars) * **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) People whose SSNs SSA will verify--Reading and 58,000,000 1 3 2,900,000 *$13.30 **$38,570,000
Signing...............................................
(a) Sending in the verification request, calling our 58,000,000 1 1 966,667 *45.04 **43,538,682
system, getting a response............................
(c) CPA Compliance Review and Report***................ 21 1 4,800 1,680 *44.96 **75,533
Totals............................................. 116,000,021 .............. .............. 3,868,347 .............. **82,184,215
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based these figures on average Business and Financial operations occupations, and Accountants and Auditors hourly salaries, as reported by Bureau
of Labor Statistics data ((Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) and average DI payments, as reported in SSA's disability insurance payment
data (<a href="https://mwww.ba.ssa.gov/legislation/2024FactSheet.pdf">https://mwww.ba.ssa.gov/legislation/2024FactSheet.pdf</a>).
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
respondents to complete the application.
*** The enrollment process occurs automatically through the eCBSV Customer Connection, and entails providing consent for SSA to verify the EIN;
electronically signing the eCBSV User Agreement, and the permitted entities certification; selecting their annual tier level; and linking to <a href="http://pay.gov">pay.gov</a>
to make payment for services.
**** SSA uses one CPA firm (an SSA-approved contractor) to conduct compliance reviews and prepare written reports of findings on the permitted entities.

Cost Burden

The public cost burden depends on the number of PEs using the
service and the annual transaction volume. We based the current tier
fee schedule below on 21 participating PEs in fiscal year (FY) 2024
submitting an anticipated annual volume of 58 million transactions. For
FY 2025, we are maintaining the current tier structure, based our
analysis, which estimated 21 participating PEs with an anticipated
annual volume of 68 million. The total cost for developing and
operating the service is $66.3 million through FY 2024. Of this amount,
$25.5 million remains unrecovered/unreimbursed. The current
subscription tier structure and associated fees are intended to recover
these costs over a three-year period, assuming projected enrollments
and transaction volumes meet these projections. SSA uses the fee to
allocate for forecasted systems and operational expenses; agency
oversight; and overhead necessary to sustain the service.

eCBSV Tier Fee Schedule
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual transaction
Tier threshold Annual fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1............................... Up to 10,000 (1- $5,100
10,000).
2............................... Up to 75,000 37,125
(10,001-75,000).
3............................... Up to 200,000 98,000
(75,001-200,000).
4............................... Up to 500,000 240,000
(200,001-500,000).
5............................... Up to 1 million 470,000
(500,001-1
million).
6............................... Up to 2.5 million 907,500
(1,000,001-2.5
million).
7............................... Up to 5 million 1,765,500
(2,500,001-5
million).
8............................... Up to 10 million 3,206,250
(5,000,001-10
million).
9............................... Up to 15 million 3,562,500
(10,000,001-15
million).
10.............................. Up to 20 million 4,453,125
(15,000,001-20
million).
11.............................. Up to 25 million 5,165,625
(20,000,001-25
million).
12.............................. Up to 200 million 5,878,125
(25,000,001-200
million).
------------------------------------------------------------------------

SSA calculates fees based on forecasted systems and operational
expenses, agency oversight, overhead, and Certified Public Accountant
audit contract costs.
Section 215(h)(1)(B) of the Banking Bill requires that the
Commissioner shall ``periodically adjust'' the price paid by users to
ensure that amounts collected are sufficient to fully offset the costs
of administering the eCBSV system. On at least an annual basis, SSA
monitors costs incurred to provide eCBSV services and revises the tier
fee schedule accordingly. SSA notifies permitted entities of the tier
fee schedule in effect at the renewal of eCBSV user agreements, when a
permitted entity begins a new 365-day agreement period, and via notice
in the Federal Register. Permitted entity renewals are governed by the
tier in effect at the time of renewal.

Dated: August 21, 2025.
Mark Steffensen,
General Counsel, Deputy Commissioner for Law and Policy, Social
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-16598 Filed 8-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P

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Indexed from Federal Register on August 29, 2025.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.