RSSA® for Attorneys and Legal Professionals

RSSA® Program – Legal Professional Edition

Social Security Advocacy

Built specifically for attorneys and legal professionals, the RSSA® Legal Professional Edition combines the complete RSSA® education program with RSSA Roadmap® software, consumer Roadmap activations, and SETARA® to help bring Social Security expertise into your practice from day one.

$350/mo.

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Everything Included in the Legal Professional Edition

Get the education, technology, and planning tools included with the RSSA® Program – Legal Professional Edition.

RSSA® Education Program

Complete the five-module RSSA® education program and build a stronger understanding of Social Security rules, claiming strategies, and the situations that may affect clients and their families.

First Exam Registration

Your first RSSA® exam registration through Kaplan is included, giving you a clear path from completing the education program to earning the RSSA® designation.

RSSA Roadmap® Advisor Software

Start using RSSA Roadmap® immediately to analyze Social Security claiming options, compare strategies, and create personalized reports for clients.

Five Consumer Roadmap Activations Each Month

Receive five consumer Roadmap activations every month, allowing clients to complete their own personalized Social Security analysis before or alongside working with you.

$75/month value included

SETARA® Access

Use SETARA® to help self-employed clients and business owners understand how compensation decisions may affect payroll taxes, projected Social Security benefits, and long-term retirement value.

$75/month value included

That's $150/month in Roadmap activations and SETARA® access included at no extra cost.

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Social Security Connects to the Planning Clients Already Need

A client preparing for Social Security may also be reviewing a will, creating or updating a trust, planning for Medicaid, establishing powers of attorney, preparing for long-term care, or making decisions that affect a spouse or other family members.

For elder law and estate planning firms, these issues are often closely connected. Understanding Social Security gives your team another perspective when helping clients plan for retirement and the years ahead.

Attorney meeting with a client and family member

Attorney discussing Social Security considerations with a client

Identify More Ways to Serve Each Client

A Social Security conversation can uncover planning needs that might otherwise come up much later. Clients may need help with:

Wills and trusts
Estate planning
Medicaid planning
Powers of attorney
Asset protection
Guardianship
Probate and estate administration
Special needs planning
Survivor and family planning

Having someone in the firm who understands Social Security makes it easier to recognize when these broader conversations should happen and connect clients with the appropriate legal services.

A poorly timed Social Security claiming decision can cost your clients up to $139,000 in lifetime benefits.

Understanding how legal and financial decisions affect those benefits gives attorneys the opportunity to help clients protect more of their retirement income.

Give Referral Partners Another Reason to Recommend Your Firm

CPAs, financial professionals, insurance professionals, and other advisors regularly work with clients who have questions about Social Security. Having an RSSA® within the firm gives those professionals another resource they can turn to when a client needs help understanding their claiming options.

Those introductions can also lead to broader conversations when the client needs estate planning, elder law, probate, Medicaid planning, or other legal services.

Advisors referring clients to a law firm for Social Security expertise

Where Social Security Fits Into Your Legal Practice

Social Security considerations may influence the legal and financial decisions your clients are already facing.

Elder Law and Elder Care Attorneys

Your elder law clients are already asking when to claim, how a spouse's benefit factors in, and what happens if long-term care changes the picture. An RSSA® on staff means those questions get answered in the same meeting, by the same trusted advisor, instead of sending the client elsewhere. It's a natural extension of the planning conversations you're already having.

Retirement and survivor benefits
Coordination with Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care planning
Powers of attorney, guardianship, and incapacity planning
Representative payee considerations

Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts

Clients don't separate their Social Security decisions from their estate plan, even if the paperwork does. When your firm holds the RSSA® designation, survivor income, trust planning for a dependent beneficiary, and coordination with other assets all become part of one conversation, with your firm at the center of it.

Survivor income following the death of a spouse
Trust planning for dependent or disabled beneficiaries
Coordination with retirement accounts and other assets
Powers of attorney and incapacity planning

Probate and Estate Administration

The death of a spouse or parent can raise immediate Social Security questions alongside the legal and financial matters involved in settling an estate.

Widow and widower benefits
Divorced-survivor benefits
Benefits for minor or dependent children
Timing considerations for surviving spouses

Special Needs Planning

Families planning for an individual with a disability may need to coordinate legal arrangements, family resources, and Social Security or other public benefits.

SSDI and SSI distinctions
Disabled adult child benefit considerations
Special needs trusts
Coordination with Medicaid and other public benefits

Medicaid Planning

Social Security income and other retirement benefits are often part of the broader financial picture families are reviewing when planning for Medicaid or long-term care. Understanding how those benefits factor in gives your firm another way to support clients through the planning process.

Impact of Social Security income on Medicaid eligibility
Coordination with long-term care planning
Spousal and household income considerations
Planning around asset and income limits

Guardianship

Social Security benefits are often part of the picture when families are planning for the financial needs of an aging parent, a disabled family member, or another individual who requires additional support.

Benefits for aging parents or family members needing support
Representative payee considerations
Coordination with disability and dependent benefits
Financial planning for incapacitated individuals

Turn Social Security Analysis Into a Clear Client Conversation

RSSA Roadmap® gives your firm's RSSA the software to evaluate Social Security claiming options and present the results in a way clients can understand. The software can help evaluate different claiming ages, household and family benefits, and other factors that may affect lifetime Social Security income. Instead of sending clients elsewhere for Social Security analysis, the firm can keep more of the planning conversation under one roof.

Import benefit information using an SSA.gov file
Evaluate spousal, survivor, and divorced-spouse benefits
Account for benefits involving dependent children and other family members
Compare claiming ages and potential benefit outcomes
Create client-friendly reports in English or Spanish

A Flexible Way to Add Social Security Expertise to Your Firm

The RSSA® Program is completed online and is designed to fit around an existing professional schedule. Eligible participants complete the education requirements, learn to use RSSA Roadmap®, and take a proctored final exam before earning the designation.

Attorney Eligibility

A Juris Doctor or attorney credential satisfies the RSSA® program's professional eligibility requirement.

Flexible Online Education

The five-module program is self-paced. Most participants complete it in approximately 20–35 hours.

Proctored Final Exam

Administered and proctored online by the College for Financial Planning® — a Kaplan Company.

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Hear What RSSAs® Are Saying About the Program

“Becoming a Registered Social Security Analyst® has opened doors to multiple clients and referrals. When I tell them I’m an RSSA®, they want to know more.”

Frank Garcia

“After completing the RSSA® program, I was immediately able to apply my Social Security knowledge to help a client make informed decisions about their benefits.”

Jeanine Kinzie

“Being able to help people get into a better position is so important, and I can do that because of the knowledge that being an RSSA® provides.”

Erin Fountain

“Having the RSSA® designation gives me more credibility and trust with clients. It’s not just about being a financial advisor—this shows I truly understand Social Security.”

Catherine Allen-Carlozo

Frequently Asked Questions

What's Included in the Legal Professional Edition?

The subscription includes the five-module RSSA® education program, your first exam registration through Kaplan, RSSA Roadmap® advisor software available for immediate use, five consumer Roadmap activations per month, and SETARA® access.

Can I Start Using RSSA Roadmap® Right Away?

Yes. RSSA Roadmap® advisor software is available for immediate use as part of this subscription, so you can begin working with clients while you complete the education program.

Is This Subscription Specific to Legal Professionals?

Yes. The Legal Professional Edition is priced and packaged specifically for attorneys and legal professionals bringing Social Security expertise into their practice.

Are Attorneys Eligible to Earn the RSSA® Designation?

Yes. A Juris Doctor or attorney credential satisfies the RSSA® program’s professional eligibility requirement. After completing the education requirements and passing the RSSA® Final Exam, eligible participants can earn the Registered Social Security Analyst® designation.