[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 190 (Wednesday, October 1, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 59341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-23304]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2014-0054]


Charging Standard Administrative Fees for Nonprogram-Related 
Information

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of updated schedule of standardized administrative fees.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On August 22, 2012,\1\ we announced in the Federal Register a 
schedule of standardized administrative fees we charge to the public. 
We charge these fees to recover our full costs when we provide 
information and related services for nonprogram purposes. We are 
announcing an update to the previously published schedule of 
standardized administrative fees.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 77 FR 50757, Aug. 22, 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The updated standard fee schedule is part of our continuing effort 
to standardize fees for nonprogram information requests. Standard fees 
provide consistency and ensure we recover the full cost of supplying 
information when we receive a request for a purpose not directly 
related to the administration of a program under the Social Security 
Act (Act).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1106 of the Act and the Privacy Act 
\2\ authorize the Commissioner of Social Security to promulgate 
regulations regarding agency records and information and to charge fees 
for providing information and related services. Our regulations and 
operating instructions identify when we will charge fees for 
information.\3\ Under our regulations, whenever we determine a request 
for information is for any purpose not directly related to the 
administration of the Social Security programs, we require the 
requester to pay the full cost of providing the information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ 42 U.S.C. 1306 and 5 U.S.C. 552a, respectively.
    \3\ See 20 CFR 402.170, 402.175; Program Operations Manual 
System (POMS) GN 03311.005.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    New Information: We are required to review and update standardized 
administrative fees at least every two years to ensure that we recover 
the full cost of providing information for nonprogram purposes. Based 
on the most recent cost analysis, the following table provides the new 
schedule of standardized administrative fees per request:

Copying an Electronic Folder...............................          $44
Copying a Paper Folder.....................................           79
Third Party Manual SSN Verification........................           27
Regional Office Certification \4\..........................           98
Office of Central Operations Certification \5\.............           56
W2/W3 Requests.............................................           37
Record Extract.............................................           38
 

    We will continue to evaluate all standard fees at least every two 
years to ensure we capture the full costs associated with providing 
information for nonprogram-related purposes. We will require advance 
payment of the standard fee by check, money order, or credit card. We 
will not accept cash. If we revise any of the standard fees, we will 
publish another notice in the Federal Register. For other nonprogram-
related requests for information not addressed here or within the 
current schedule of standardized administrative fees, we will continue 
to charge fees calculated on a case-by-case basis to recover our full 
cost of supplying the information. We eliminated the letter forwarding 
service effective May 14, 2014.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Requests received in a field office, regional office, or 
headquarters component.
    \5\ Requests received in the Office of Central Operations.
    \6\ 79 FR 21831, April 17, 2014.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Information

    Additional information is available on our Web site at http://socialsecurity.gov/pgm/business.htm or by written request to: Social 
Security Administration, Office of Public Inquiries, Windsor Park 
Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235.

DATES: The changes described above are effective for requests we 
receive on or after October 1, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristina Poist, Social Security 
Administration, Office of Finance, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 
MD 21235-6401, (410) 597-1977. For information on eligibility or filing 
for benefits, visit our Internet site, Social Security Online, at 
http://socialsecurity.gov, or call our national toll-free number, 1-
800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778.

    Dated: September 23, 2014.
Carolyn W. Colvin,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.
[FR Doc. 2014-23304 Filed 9-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P