Labor organizations should report an employee name change by sending a timely letter to the Chief of Compensation and Employer Services or by contacting a local field office of the RRB who will file the appropriate form. All name changes must include the former name, current name, and social security number.

Name Changes Must Be Filed at RRB & SSA

Please note that a change of name filed with the RRB does not change the records at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and a change of name filed with SSA does not change the records at the RRB. Because the correctness of an employee's name and account number is verified through the SSA's records, change requests must be filed at both agencies. Please advise your employees to file Form SS-5, Application for Social Security Number Card, in accordance with the instructions on the form to report a change of name. Name changes may also be reported to SSA by telephoning (800) 772-1213.

If the labor organization changes a name in their records but fails to notify the RRB, the name on the employer's service and compensation report will not match the name in the RRB record. The service and compensation will not be recorded until the name difference is resolved.

Name Changes to be Filed Once a Year

Labor organizations may extract employee name changes from their records on an annual basis and send them on a computer listing. The listing should contain the social security number, former name, and current name and should include only changes made within the last 12 months. These listings should be reported by a cover letter addressed to the Chief of Compensation and Employer Services. In order to ensure that these changes are processed prior to the annual reports, name change listings must be received no later than January 31 each year.