U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Edition RI 20-7, Revised July 2024 (OMB 3206-0140; previous editions are not usable) 5 pages

OPM RI 20-7 — Application for Selection as Representative Payee of an Annuitant

Apply to OPM to receive and manage a federal retirement annuity for someone who can't manage it themselves.

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RI 20-7 · Application for Selection as Representative Payee of an Annuitant (OPM retirement)
The official U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) form, edition RI 20-7, Revised July 2024 (OMB 3206-0140; previous editions are not usable) — blank
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RI 20-7 (2024) Application for Selection as Representative Payee of an Annuitant (OPM retirement) — page 1 of 5
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Fill this form online Blank PDF from U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

What is RI 20-7?

When someone receiving a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuity can no longer manage or direct the management of the payments, OPM pays them to a court-appointed guardian or conservator, or to a representative payee OPM selects. Form RI 20-7 is the application a person or organization makes to be that representative payee.

A representative payee must spend the payments for the annuitant's benefit, conserve what isn't needed, account to OPM when asked, notify OPM of changes, and return any payment received after the annuitant's death. OPM doesn't recognize a power of attorney or durable power of attorney for this. The current edition is RI 20-7 Revised July 2024 (OMB 3206-0140); OPM says previous editions are not usable.

FileIt pre-fills the annuitant's name from your vault, shows Part C only for an individual applicant, checks that every explanation fits its box, and fills OPM's own PDF. The finished form is saved in the person's vault folder. OPM requires an original signature, so you print it, sign it in ink and mail it with the required documents.

Who applies
A person or organization willing to act as fiduciary for a CSRS or FERS annuitant who can't manage the payments.
Only one payee
Only one person or organization can be the approved representative payee on file.
Send with
Unexpired photo ID (individuals), plus either a certified court order of guardianship or conservatorship of the estate, or a physician's statement and two notarized affidavits; a voided check to change the deposit account.
Mail to
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Services, Attn: Rep Payee, PO Box 45, Boyers, PA 16017-0045. Faxes are not accepted.
Signed
Original signature required; someone signing for an organization writes "for" and its name after the signature.
Edition
RI 20-7, Revised July 2024 (OMB 3206-0140)

Who needs to fill out RI 20-7?

  • Family members of a federal retiree or survivor annuitant with dementia or another condition that leaves them unable to manage money.
  • A court-appointed guardian or conservator of the estate who wants the annuity paid to them.
  • Organizations, such as nursing facilities or fiduciary services, applying to manage an annuitant's payments.
  • A guardian of a minor child receiving a federal survivor annuity, when the applicant isn't the parent.

When to use RI 20-7

  • When an annuitant can no longer manage or direct the management of their CSRS or FERS payments.
  • When a court has appointed you guardian or conservator of the estate or property (not of the person only).
  • When no court order exists and you can provide medical evidence and two affidavits about the annuitant's competency.

What you need before you start

  • The annuitant's CSA or CSF claim number, Social Security number, name and physical address.
  • The names and relationships of everyone else living with the annuitant, if they live in a private residence.
  • Your name, SSN (or the organization's EIN), date of birth, address and relationship to the annuitant.
  • Your plans for using and conserving the payments, and your employment and background details (individuals).
  • An original or certified copy of the court order, or a physician's statement plus two notarized affidavits.
  • A voided check for an account in the annuitant's name if you're changing the deposit account.

What’s on RI 20-7

The 2024 edition has 5 pages. FileIt asks for it in 5 parts:

  1. Part A - Information about the annuitantApplicant (proposed representative payee)
  2. Part B - Information about the applicantApplicant (proposed representative payee)
  3. Part C - Additional information about an individual applicantApplicant (proposed representative payee)
  4. Part D - Direct depositApplicant (proposed representative payee)
  5. Part E - CertificationApplicant (proposed representative payee)

How to fill out RI 20-7, step by step

1 Part A - The annuitant

Claim number, SSN, name and physical address; who the annuitant lives with; why they can't manage the annuity; whether a State court has found them incompetent; whether anyone else has applied to be guardian or conservator; and, for a minor, whether a living parent shows interest in the child.

2 Part B - You

Your name, SSN or EIN, date of birth, other names, address and relationship; whether you live within commuting distance, pay the annuitant's routine expenses, have been a representative payee before or been dismissed as one, and provide their care; and how you'll use and conserve the payments.

3 Part C - Individual applicants

Your employment or main source of income, any felony conviction (with dates, crime and sentence) and any unsatisfied felony warrant. Organizations skip Part C.

4 Part D - Direct deposit

Keep the current account, note a foreign address without direct deposit, or give a new checking or savings account. Except for a spouse with a joint account, the account must be separate and carry the annuitant's name.

5 Part E - Certification

You certify the information and agree to OPM's nine requirements, then sign and give your phone number, date and email.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Sending a power of attorney or durable power of attorney: OPM doesn't accept them for selecting a representative payee.
  • Sending an uncertified photocopy of a court order, or a guardianship of the person only, which OPM returns.
  • Leaving questions unanswered: OPM returns incomplete applications.
  • Using a joint account with the annuitant when you're not their spouse, which commingles funds.
  • Faxing the application, which OPM doesn't accept.

After you fill it out

Print the form, sign it in ink and gather your photo ID and the court order or the medical statement and two notarized affidavits.

Mail everything to OPM Retirement Services, Attn: Rep Payee, PO Box 45, Boyers, PA 16017-0045.

Once selected, keep records of how the payments are spent: OPM will ask for written accountability reports.

For questions, OPM's Retirement Information Office is at 1-888-767-6738. FileIt keeps the PDF in the person's vault folder.

Fill out RI 20-7 online with FileIt

  1. Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
  2. Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 74 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
  3. Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
  4. Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start RI 20-7 now — it’s free

RI 20-7: frequently asked questions

Does a power of attorney let me manage someone's federal annuity?

No. OPM says it doesn't recognize a power of attorney or durable power of attorney for selecting a representative payee, so don't send one with RI 20-7.

What if there's no court order?

You can still apply to be an OPM-selected payee. Send a statement from the treating physician or licensed health practitioner and affidavits from at least two people who know the facts, sworn before a notary or other authorized officer.

Can I sign RI 20-7 electronically?

No. OPM requires an original signature, so print the form and sign it in ink.

Can an organization be the representative payee?

Yes. It gives its EIN instead of an SSN and skips Part C, and an authorized signatory signs with "for" and the organization's name.

What happens to payments after the annuitant dies?

The representative payee must promptly return any annuity paid after death; OPM treats those payments as a debt to the U.S. Government.

Official sources

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-25.

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