Cite as: 535 U. S. 789 (2002)
Opinion of the Court
court must consider a plaintiff's request to increase a fee [based on a contingent-fee agreement]," the Ninth Circuit stated, "a court 'is not required to articulate its reasons' for accepting or rejecting such a request." 238 F. 3d, at 1199 (quoting Widrig v. Apfel, 140 F. 3d 1207, 1211 (CA9 1998)) (emphasis in original).
We granted certiorari, 534 U. S. 1039 (2001), in view of the division among the Circuits on the appropriate method of calculating fees under § 406(b). Compare Coup v. Heckler, 834 F. 2d 313 (CA3 1987); Craig v. Secretary, Dept. of Health and Human Servs., 864 F. 2d 324 (CA4 1989); Brown v. Sullivan, 917 F. 2d 189 (CA5 1990); Cotter v. Bowen, 879 F. 2d 359 (CA8 1989); Hubbard v. Shalala, 12 F. 3d 946 (CA10 1993); and Kay v. Apfel, 176 F. 3d 1322 (CA11 1999) (all following, in accord with the Ninth Circuit, a lodestar method), with Wells v. Sullivan, 907 F. 2d 367 (CA2 1990); Rodriguez v. Bowen, 865 F. 2d 739 (CA6 1989) (en banc); and McGuire v. Sullivan, 873 F. 2d 974 (CA7 1989) (all giving effect to attorney-client contingent-fee agreement, if resulting fee is reasonable).9 We now reverse the Ninth Circuit's judgment.
II
Beginning with the text, § 406(b)'s words, "a reasonable fee . . . not in excess of 25 percent of . . . the past-due benefits," read in isolation, could be construed to allow either the Ninth Circuit's lodestar approach or petitioners' position that the attorney-client fee agreement ordinarily should control, if not "in excess of 25 percent." The provision
fessional relationship with the client, and (12) awards in similar cases." 526 F. 2d, at 69-70 (citing Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express, Inc., 488 F. 2d 714, 717-719 (CA5 1974)).
9 Cf. Ramos Colon v. Secretary of Health and Human Servs., 850 F. 2d 24, 26 (CA1 1988) (per curiam) ("a court is not required to give blind deference to . . . a contractual fee agreement, and must ultimately be responsible for fixing a reasonable fee for the judicial phase of the proceedings" (internal quotation marks omitted)).
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