Form HA-520 | Request for Review of Hearing Decision/Order

If you do not agree with the decision or order of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) on your claim, you may ask the Appeals Council (AC) to review the ALJ's action. The notice you received will tell you how to appeal the ALJ's decision or order.

The preferred method for appealing the ALJ's decision or order is by using the SSA secure online process AC iAppeal Online.

You may also use the form below, write a letter or fax.

HA-520, Request for Review of Hearing Decision/Order
HA-520, Petición De Revisión De La Decisión/Orden Emitida En Una Audiencia De Apelación

Please send your request to:

Social Security Administration
Office of Appellate Operations
6401 Security Blvd
Baltimore, MD 21235-6401

Or, Fax to: 1-833-509-0817

If the notice does not say this, or you are still experiencing issues filing an appeal, you should call 1-800-772-1213 or your local Social Security Office and they will help you complete the right appeal form.

You must file your appeal within 60 days after the date you got the hearing decision or order. We assume that you got the hearing decision or order within 5 days after the date shown on the notice unless you can show us you did not get it within the 5-day period.

Time to Submit New Evidence

If you have additional evidence that relates to the period on or before the date of the hearing decision, you must inform the Appeals Council about it or submit it. If you have a representative, then your representative must help you obtain the evidence unless the evidence falls under an exception. You may also submit any other additional evidence to the Appeals Council. If you need additional time to submit evidence or legal argument, you must request an extension of time in writing now. This will ensure that the Appeals Council has the opportunity to consider the additional evidence before taking its action. If you submit neither evidence nor legal argument now or within any extension of time the Appeals Council grants, the Appeals Council will take its action based on the evidence currently in your file.

How to complete the form

  1. CLAIMANT NAME: Enter your name or the name of the person on whose behalf you are filing the request for review.
  2. CLAIMANT SSN: Enter your Social Security number (SSN) or the SSN of the person on whose behalf you are filing the request for review.
  3. CLAIM NUMBER (if different than SSN): The claimant claim number depends on the type of claim you are appealing. If you are appealing a claim for:
    • Social Security benefits on your work record, do not re-enter your SSN.
    • Social Security benefits on someone else's work record (a wage earner), enter that person's SSN.
    • Social Security benefits on your work record and on another person's work record, enter the wage earner's SSN but do not re-enter your SSN.
    • Supplemental Security Income (SSI), do not re-enter your SSN.
    • Social Security benefits on another person's work record and SSI, enter the wage earner's SSN but do not re-enter your SSN.
    • SSI only or SSI and Social Security benefits on your work record, enter your spouse’s SSN here.
  4. I request that the Appeals Council review the Administrative Law Judge's action on the above claim because:

    Tell us why you disagree with the hearing decision or order. If you need additional space, you can attach a separate sheet of paper. Include your name and your SSN, and the claim number if applicable, on any additional pages, and on all correspondence, you send to us.

    Please grant me an extension of time to submit evidence or argument: Mark this checkbox to request an extension of time to submit evidence or argument.

  5. CLAIMANT'S SIGNATURE: Sign and date the form and fill in your address and telephone number. If you are filing on behalf of a child or an incompetent adult, enter your relationship to the claimant (for example, parent or legal guardian).
  6. REPRESENTATIVE'S SIGNATURE: If you have a representative, the representative should sign and complete this section. Do not delay filing your request for review to get your representative's signature. If you are represented and your representative is unavailable to complete this form, you should also print their name and address in this section. If you do not have a representative and would like someone to represent you (for example, an attorney), your local Social Security office can provide you with a list of representatives for your area.
Do not complete anything below the line that says “THE SOCIAL SECURITY STAFF WILL COMPLETE THIS PART.” We will complete this part of the form when we receive it.

Where to send this form

Send the completed form to your local Social Security office or to the Social Security Administration, Office of Appellate Operations, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. If you have any questions, you may call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.