Effective Dates: 11/03/2008 - Present
TN 18 (11-08)
The Department of the Treasury (DT) investigates the status of a payment when an E- or F-stop is generated. Use E-stops for non-entitlement situations due to the death of the beneficiary or recipient when a representative payee is not involved and use F-stops when check payments are issued to a representative payee after the death of a beneficiary and for all non-entitlement situations other than death. The chart below gives a brief description of each stop-payment:
Stop Code |
Description of E-, F-, and W-Stops |
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E-stops (Reclamation Request) Checks and Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT) (Non-entitlement due to death/no rep payee) |
Applies to Title II and Title XVI checks and EFT payments issued after death. E-stop is usually an automated process when the date of death is posted to the record and the stop-payment action goes to DT. When a death input is processed, E-stops are automatically systems generated for checks and EFT payments issued after death, unless the E-stop must be input manually (see Manual E-stop Process GN 02408.012). E-stops for checks have a 12-month limit during which SSA can reclaim funds An E-stop enables SSA to direct DT to reclaim funds when a check is cashed after the death of the beneficiary or recipient and to return improper EFT funds deposited to the deceased beneficiary/recipient’s bank account. |
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F-stops (Non-entitlement other than death) |
Input F-stops on Title II and Title XVI check payments issued to a rep payee after the death of a beneficiary/recipient Input F-stops for stop-payment of checks issued when not due for reasons other than death. -
F-stops are used primarily for checks. There is one exception:
EFT payment that is also part of the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). See GN 02408.405.
The Title XVI nonreceipt system automatically generates an F-stop on a courtesy disbursement check when the original check has been cashed. For the same situation with Title II nonreceipt, the Program Service Centers (PSC) must input F-stops manually. Input an F-stop when you need the status of a check and you do not wish to generate a replacement check. Input an F-stop when checks are issued under an incorrect SSN. F-stop enables DT to reclaim funds if forgery is involved. Input an F-stop for nonreceipt of a due check alleged after the beneficiary’s death. Input an F-stop for nonreceipt of checks issued to non-beneficiaries (see GN 02406.127). Input an F-stop if a former rep payee alleges nonreceipt of a check certified before the change-of-payee action was processed. Input F-stops in nonreceipt and stop-payment situations for Title XVI attorney fee checks -
Input an F-stop for nonreceipt of non-recurring checks.
SEE ALSO:
GN 02406.200 - Failure to Receive a Courtesy Disbursement Or Replacement Check -- Title II
GN 02406.202 - Nonreceipt of a Settlement Check -- Title II and Title XVI
GN 02406.205 - Nonreceipt of Underpayment Check/Type 2 and One-Time Payment/Type 4 Payment -- Field Office And Teleservice Center Instructions -- Title XVI
GN 02406.207 - Nonreceipt of Courtesy Disbursement or Replacement Check/ Type 9 Payment -- Field Office and Teleservice Center Instructions -- Title XVI
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W-stop Checks and EFT Title II ONLY Non-entitlement - death of rep payee |
W-stop is a Title II stop code used only for the death of the representative payee. A rep payee date of death input generates stop-payments (W-stop) on any Title II payments issued after a payee’s death. W-stops post to the Payment History Update System (PHUS) as E-stops EFT – DT returns funds to SSA after reclamation from a financial institution (FI) for reissue to the new payee. Checks – DT cancels checks issued after a payee’s death and returns credit to SSA for reissue to the new payee or reclaims from the FI if checks were cashed. |