20 CFR § 266.11Chapter II

§ 266.11 Conservation and investment of benefit payments.

Primary source

Verbatim text below is from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the current version with the eCFR before relying on it for any legal matter.

Full Text

General.(a) If benefit payments made to a representative payee are not needed for the annuitant's current maintenance or reasonably foreseeable needs or the support of legal dependents or to pay creditors in accordance with § 266.10, they shall be conserved or invested on behalf of the annuitant. Such funds must be invested in accordance with the rules applicable to investment of trust estates by trustees. Any investment must show clearly that the representative payee holds the property in trust for the annuitant.

Preferred investments.(b) Preferred investments for excess funds are deposits in an interest or dividend paying account in a bank, trust company, credit union, or savings and loan association which is insured under either Federal or State law, direct obligations of the United States Government or obligations for which both principal and interest are guaranteed unconditionally by the United States Government. The account must be in a form which shows clearly that the representative payee has only a fiduciary, and not a personal, interest in the funds. If the payee is the legally appointed guardian or fiduciary of the annuitant, the account may be established to indicate this relationship. If the payee is not the legally appointed guardian or fiduciary, the accounts may be established as follows:

(1) For U.S. Savings Bonds—

(2) For interest or dividend paying accounts—

Interest and dividend payments.(c) The interest and dividends which result from an investment are the property of the annuitant and may not be considered to be the property of the representative payee.

Prohibition against commingling.(d) The representative payee shall not commingle his or her personal funds with the representative payments. A representative payee may consolidate and maintain an annuitant's funds in an account with other annuitants if he or she maintains a separate, accurate and complete accounting of each annuitant's funds under his or her control.

(Name of annuitant) (Social Security Number), for whom (Name of payee) is representative payee for Railroad Retirement benefits;

(Name of annuitant) by (Name of payee), representative payee.

eCFR data current as of: June 10, 2026

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.