Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Fill out SF 1199A online

Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form

SF 1199A signs you up to have a federal payment deposited into your checking or savings account. You fill in Sections 1 and 2, and your bank or credit union checks those details and completes Section 3. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service lists it for non-vendor federal payments that its other direct deposit forms do not cover.

Fill out SF 1199A Blank form from the Treasury

The form opens in our PDF editor with its own fields ready to type into. You can fill it in without an account; downloading the filled PDF needs a free account. A free account gets 15 credits a day, enough for one form a day.

Edition: Rev. October 2024
Pages: 4
Fillable fields: 213
Checked against the Treasury: November 8, 2026

GuruPDF is not affiliated with the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service. This page explains the form in plain words; it is not legal or tax advice. Always check the official instructions before you file.

Who uses SF 1199A

People who receive a non-vendor federal payment and want it paid by direct deposit
Joint payees, who sign the payee certification with the payee
Joint account holders on the account that will receive the deposit
Banks and credit unions, which complete and sign Section 3

Before you start

A government check, award letter or other document from the paying agency that shows your claim number and type of payment
Your name exactly as it appears on the government check, and your current address and phone number
The name of each person entitled to the payment
Your account number and whether it is a checking or savings account
The name and address of the government agency that pays you
Any joint payees and joint account holders, since they sign the form too

How to fill out SF 1199A

Section 1, boxes A to C: payee and claim details
In box A, enter the payee's name (last, first, middle initial) exactly as it appears on the government check, then the current address, city, state, ZIP code and phone number. In box B, enter the name of each person entitled to the payment. In box C, enter the claim or payroll ID number, with any prefix and suffix. The back of the form shows a sample government check with these items marked.
Section 1, boxes D and E: your account
In box D, mark whether the account is a checking or a savings account. In box E, enter the depositor account number.
Section 1, boxes F and G: type of payment
In box F, check only one type of payment: Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement, Civil Service Retirement (OPM), VA Compensation or Pension, Fed. Salary/Mil. Civilian Pay, Mil. Active, Mil. Retire., Mil. Survivor, or Other (write what it is). Fill in box G only if this is an allotment of a payment, giving the type and the amount.
Section 1: the certifications
The payee, and any joint payee, sign and date the Payee/Joint Payee Certification. By signing, they certify that they are entitled to the payment, that they have read and understood the back of the form, and that they authorize the payment to be deposited to the account. Joint account holders sign and date the Joint Account Holders' Certification, which says they have read and understood the back of the form, including the Special Notice to Joint Account Holders.
Section 2: the paying agency
Enter the name and address of the government agency that sends the payment. The form says this section can be completed by the payee or by the financial institution.
Section 3: leave for your bank
Section 3 is completed by the financial institution. It enters its name and address, the routing number and check digit, and the depositor account title. A representative prints or types their name, signs the Financial Institution Certification confirming the payee's identity and the account number and title, and adds a phone number and date.

After you fill it out

The form's directions say to take or mail it to your financial institution. The bank or credit union checks Sections 1 and 2, completes Section 3, and mails the form to the government agency named in Section 2. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service's pages also say to contact your financial institution or mail the form to the paying agency, so follow any instructions from the agency that pays you. The PDF has three copies of the front page: a Government Agency Copy, a Financial Institution Copy and a Payee Copy.

Signing: The payee and any joint payee sign the Payee/Joint Payee Certification, joint account holders sign their own certification, and a representative of the financial institution signs Section 3. The form does not say whether an electronic signature is accepted, so follow the instructions of the paying agency and your bank.

Watch out for

Box F lists Social Security, SSI, railroad and OPM retirement, but the Bureau of the Fiscal Service says to use FS Form 1200 (or GoDirect.gov) for Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, civil non-military federal retirement and railroad retirement payments. It says federal vendors use SF 3881, and federal employees submit Form 2231 to their HR department.
A separate SF 1199A must be completed for each type of payment you want sent by direct deposit.
The form says joint account holders should tell both the government agency and the bank right away if a beneficiary dies. Money deposited after the date of death or ineligibility, except salary payments, is to be returned to the agency.
The form warns that a false statement or fraudulent claim can be punished by a fine, prison, or both.

Questions about SF 1199A

Where do I find my claim number and type of payment?

They are printed on government checks and also stated on award letters and other documents from the paying agency. On the sample check on the back of the form, the claim number and suffix are printed beneath the date and the type of payment is to the left of the amount; for other types of payments, the form points to the Green Book for where prefixes and suffixes are printed.

How do I cancel direct deposit set up with this form?

You cancel by notifying the federal agency that pays you, and you should also tell your bank. The arrangement also ends on the death or legal incapacity of the recipient.

Can my bank cancel the arrangement?

Yes, by giving you written notice 30 days before the cancellation date. You must then tell the federal agency right away. The bank cannot cancel it by contacting the agency itself.

How do I move my direct deposit to a different bank?

Contact the paying agency with your updated financial information. Deposits keep going to the old bank until the agency is told, and the form recommends keeping both accounts open until the new bank receives a direct deposit payment.

Is all the information on the form required?

The back of the form says all of it, including the claim number, is required under federal law and regulations, and that leaving information out may delay or prevent payments by direct deposit. Its Privacy Act Notice adds that giving the information is voluntary, but that your direct deposit cannot be processed without it.

Who sees the information on the form?

The Privacy Act Notice on the back says it is disclosed to the Department of the Treasury, its fiscal and financial agents, and other federal agencies as needed to process your direct deposit. It may also be disclosed to a court, law enforcement, a congressional committee or another government agency where authorized or required to verify that you received federal payments.