diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 896f4e0..c470162 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -86,3 +86,42 @@ You need to specify the Cognito domain in the ``settings.py`` file to obtain the
 .. code-block:: python
 
 	COGNITO_DOMAIN = "your-user-pool-domain"  # eg, exampledomain.auth.ap-southeast-1.amazoncognito.com
+
+To use the backend functions, at the DJANGO_USER_MODEL, could define methods as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+class CustomizedUserManager(UserManager):
+    def get_user(self, payload):
+        cognito_id = payload['sub']
+        try:
+            return self.get(cognito_id=cognito_id)
+        except self.model.DoesNotExist:
+            return None
+
+    def create_for_cognito(self, payload):
+        """Get any value from `payload` here
+        ipdb> pprint(payload)
+        {'aud': '159ufjrihgehb67sn373aotli7',
+        'auth_time': 1583503962,
+        'cognito:username': 'john-rambo',
+        'email': 'foggygiga@gmail.com',
+        'email_verified': True,
+        'event_id': 'd92a99c2-c49e-4312-8a57-c0dccb84f1c3',
+        'exp': 1583507562,
+        'iat': 1583503962,
+        'iss': 'https://cognito-idp.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/us-west-2_flCJaoDig',
+        'sub': '2e4790a0-35a4-45d7-b10c-ced79be22e94',
+        'token_use': 'id'}
+        """
+        cognito_id = payload['sub']
+
+        try:
+            user = self.create(
+                username= payload["cognito:username"] if payload.get("cognito:username") else payload["username"],
+                cognito_id=cognito_id,
+                email=payload['email'],
+                is_active=True)
+        except IntegrityError:
+            user = self.get(cognito_id=cognito_id)
+
+        return user
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/django_cognito_jwt/backend.py b/src/django_cognito_jwt/backend.py
index 97173ae..8c5a3f4 100644
--- a/src/django_cognito_jwt/backend.py
+++ b/src/django_cognito_jwt/backend.py
@@ -31,12 +31,17 @@ def authenticate(self, request):
             raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed()
 
         USER_MODEL = self.get_user_model()
-        if settings.COGNITO_TOKEN_TYPE == "access":
-            user_info = self.get_user_info(jwt_token.decode("UTF-8"))
-            user_info = json.loads(user_info.decode("UTF-8"))
-            user = USER_MODEL.objects.get_or_create_for_cognito(user_info)
-        else:
-            user = USER_MODEL.objects.get_or_create_for_cognito(jwt_payload)
+        user = USER_MODEL.objects.get_user(jwt_payload)
+        if not user:
+            # Create new user if not exists
+            payload = jwt_payload
+            if settings.COGNITO_TOKEN_TYPE == "access":
+                user_info = self.get_user_info(jwt_token.decode("UTF-8"))
+                user_info = json.loads(user_info.decode("UTF-8"))
+                payload = user_info
+
+            user = USER_MODEL.objects.create_for_cognito(payload)
+        
         return (user, jwt_token)
 
     def get_user_model(self):