Session 12 - Payee Annual Reports

Oregon Money Management Program

Revised 6/24/16

Session # 12 - The Annual Payee Report

Welcome to the Oregon Money Management Program New Volunteer Training Session #12. In this session we will discuss how volunteers help complete Annual Payee Reports.

Annual Payee Reports

Federal benefit payers require payees to complete an annual report that details how the client’s benefit dollars were spent during a specific reporting period. When it’s time to complete the report, a copy will be provided to you by your program office. To complete the process you will need three forms:

· Payee Register

· Calculation Worksheet

· Annual Payee Report

The Payee Register Form is used to record transactions to payee accounts and complete the annual payee report. It identifies how much was received in federal benefits and how much was spent in two categories. The Payee Register Form can be provided by your program office. The Payee Register Form has columns to track the types of expenses needed to complete the Annual Payee Report.

Volunteers may choose to use the Payee Register Form, the client’s Payee Checkbook Register, a spreadsheet or financial software to track client expenses. If you use a spreadsheet or financial software instead of a payee register, you will need to be able to produce a report that covers the transactions that posted to the bank statement during the reporting period.

Payee Register Form

The Calculation Worksheet is designed to help you gather the information needed to complete the Annual Payee Report. You can ask your program office for a calculation worksheet. Detailed instructions for completing the calculation worksheet are on the back of the form.

The Annual Payee Report is generated by the SSA and is mailed to your program office. It identifies the report period and the accountable amount. Typically annual reports are requested on the anniversary of the appointment of the Payee. That would be the date that your Regional Sponsor became the Payee for the client. Additionally, a final report is required when a payee client dies or leaves the program and a new payee is appointed.

Section #1 asks if the Payee has been convicted of a crime during the reporting period. Since the Payee is your program agency, you do not need to answer this question.

Section #2 asks if the client continues to live alone, with the same person, or in the same institution during the reporting period. If you have been working with this client for the entire report period and know the answer to this question, please answer it. If not, leave it blank.

Section #3 displays how much in benefits were paid to the client during the reporting period and how much money was reported as “Saved” on the prior report. The “Saved” amount is the portion of the benefits received that were not spent. Saved funds typically are held in the Payee checking account. In some cases, saved funds are held in a payee savings account and must be added to the checking account balance to arrive at the client’s total saved funds. The accountable amount is the total benefits paid plus the amount reported as “saved” on the last annual payee report.

On the payee register draw lines across the register to indicate the beginning and ending dates to be included on the payee report. The total benefits paid on the payee register must equal the “benefits paid” on the annual Payee Report. Sometimes benefit deposits are made before the 1st of the month when a weekend is involved. If that is the case redraw your lines on the payee register so that the deposits in the reporting period are included.

Next complete the Annual Payee Calculation Worksheet using your Payee Register and the total accountable amount listed on the Annual Payee Report. Add the transactions in each column of the Payee Register between the report dates. Be sure to check your math to avoid scrutiny from the federal benefit payer.

Next, transfer the totals from the calculation worksheet to Annual Payee Report.

Note: If interest is earned on your client’s funds the total of B, C, & D on the annual payee report will add up to slightly more than the accountable amount. When this happens, simply explain the difference in the comment section on the back of the annual payee report as interest earned.

A separate annual report is needed for each benefit type. Some clients have two benefits while others have one. Different benefit types may also have different reporting periods. The following example is for a client that received two benefit types.

There are two columns provided on the Payee Register Form to record federal deposits. This will allow you to easily calculate the annual total for each benefit type. Add the transactions in the expense and the deposit columns and write the total for each at the bottom of the last page of the register.

When clients have two benefits, completing the Annual Payee Report can be a bit tricky. Use the bottom section of the Calculation Worksheet to help complete the reports. The benefit reporting periods for each benefit may or may not be the same. To keep things simple, always apply the full amount of the smaller benefit to Food & Housing and report any savings on the annual report for the larger benefit.

Refunded Benefit Dollars

Remember that only benefit dollars may be deposited in the payee checking account. Sometimes payee clients receive a refund of benefit dollars spent. For example if an auto insurance policy is canceled before the end of the term, a refund is due for the unused portion of the premium.

Refunds of benefits spent may be deposited in the payee account, however special accounting is needed. Record the refund in the register by adding it as a negative (-) amount in the appropriate expense column.

Interest Earned

Interest earned on the payee checking account is entered on the payee register as a deposit in one of the deposit columns. Interest earned on a payee savings account accumulates in the account. Interest earned on payee accounts is included in the annual payee report.

When you have completed the annual payee report, submit a copy of it, the payee register, and the calculation worksheet to your program office. Office staff will submit the annual report to the federal benefit payer, and place the supportive documents in the client’s statement file.

Regional Operation Reviews

Periodically federal benefit payers conduct on-site reviews of regional program operations. During these reviews random sampling of payee client files and reports are examined. Documentation must be on file that support the numbers reported on the annual reports and payee bank statements. During a program review, you may be asked to provide additional supportive documentation. Be sure to keep your files up to date and in order so that you can promptly comply with the request.

This concludes session #11 of the OMMP volunteer training. For questions about information covered in this session, please contact your Program Coordinator or Team Leader.

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