Payments

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY FACT SHEET

October 2017

Assigning FSA and CCC Payments

OVERVIEW

An “assignment of payment” is a service provided 

by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for producers. 

Producers who are eligible to receive specified 

program payments from FSA or Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) programs may arrange to have 

all or part of their payments assigned directly to 

another party either by electronic funds transfer 

(EFT) using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) 

method or by check. This allows a third party, 

such as a person or entity, to receive a selected 

program payment directly from FSA/CCC in lieu 

of receiving the payment from a producer.

HOW TO ASSIGN A PROGRAM 

PAYMENT

To assign eligible FSA or CCC program payments, 

producers must either use the web-based 

Assignment application or submit a completed 

form CCC-36, Assignment of Payment, and form 

CCC-252, Instrument of Assignment, to their local 

FSA county office.

Payments issued to assignees (third parties) can be 

processed through the EFT system. The assignee 

must complete and sign form SF-3881, ACH 

Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment, to 

initiate EFT transactions.

ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS FOR ASSIGNED 

PAYMENTS

Many FSA and CCC programs are eligible for 

assignment of payments. Producers may assign 

program payments, as specified by program law or 

regulation, for FSA and CCC programs that have 

been publicly announced except for FSA or CCC 

loans or purchase agreement proceeds.

ASSIGNMENT CONDITIONS

An assignment of payment may be for any purpose 

and must be for a specific amount, but cannot be 

used:

• For a reassigned payment;

• When the assigned payment is the subject of an 

administrative appeal; and

• When the dollar amount being assigned is not 

stated.

Producers must inform the local FSA county office 

immediately of any changes affecting an assigned 

payment, such as when an assigned amount 

needs to be reduced or an assignment needs to be 

terminated. After the assignment is established, the 

assignee must concur before a change is applied or 

an assignment is terminated.

OVERPAYMENTS OF ASSIGNED 

PAYMENTS

The assignee agrees to repay promptly to the 

Federal government any amount by which the 

assigned payment exceeds the amount secured 

by the assignment. The assignor (producer) and 

assignee agree that they will promptly notify 

the FSA county office of a change affecting an 

assignment. The assignment may be revoked at any 

time by written request signed by the assignee.

ASSIGNMENT PAYMENT PRIORITY 

If there is any indebtedness owed by the producer 

to the Federal government on the day a payment is 

being made, the amount may be subtracted from 

the assigned payment before it is made to the 

assignee according to the special provision related 

to assignments as stated on the reverse side of form 

CCC-36, Assignment of Payment.

REPRODUCING ELECTRONIC FORM 

CCC-36

Form CCC-36 is available at U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) service centers. Producers, 

financial institutions or third parties can also print 

the form by accessing the USDA eForms web site 

at http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/.
FACT SHEET

FFP for Sugar October 2017

A financial institution may create an electronic 

version of CCC-36. However, the created 

electronic version must:

• Be the mirror image of the most current 

version of the form;

• Contain all privacy act information;

• Include the following verbiage along the 

bottom margin of the form: “Electronic version 

reproduced by (insert name of company) using 

(insert name of software used)”; and

• Be registered with the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, 

Management Services Division, Information 

Management Branch, Forms, Graphics and 

Records Management Section.

GAINING ACCESS TO THE WEBBASED ASSIGNMENT APPLICATION

In order to protect personal identity, an assignor or 

assignee must first register for a Level 2 account 

with USDA’s e-Authentication system to obtain 

a user ID and password. The process is easy and 

starts online by creating a user ID and password 

and confirming the user’s email address. Producers 

may sign up for an e-Authentication Level 2 

account at www.eauth.egov.usda.gov. Producers 

are required to follow the following steps to obtain 

a Level 2 account:

• Complete the customer profile and submit it 

online;

• After submitting the customer profile, the 

customer will receive a confirmation email and 

must respond to it within 7 days to activate the 

account; and

• The producer must complete the “Identity 

Proofing” process by visiting a local USDA 

service center and presenting a governmentissued photo ID, such as a driver’s license.

Once an assignor or assignee has obtained a 

Level 2 e-Authentication ID, the secured FSA 

Financial Services web site becomes available 

to complete an assignment for the assignor or 

assignee registered to the user ID. Log on to the 

FSA web site at www.fsa.usda.gov, and select 

“Online Services” from the top banner. From the

“Online Services” page, select “Financial Services” 

under the “Related Topics” banner.

For additional information to gain access to the 

web-based assignment application, and other FSA 

financial services, including “Financial Inquiries 

for FSA Producers,” contact your local FSA county 

office.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

This fact sheet is for informational purposes only; 

other requirements may apply. For additional 

information on assigning FSA and CCC program 

payments and other FSA programs and services, 

visit FSA’s web site at www.fsa.usda.gov or 

contact your local FSA office. To find your local 

FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.

_________________________________________

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, 

the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited 

from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, 

sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income 

derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program 

or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by 

program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online 

at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any 

USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in 

the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request 

a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by:

1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant

 Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW

 Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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