Skip to main content

Search

myRRB
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

 

  • Our Agency
    • Agency Overview
    • Office of the Chairman
      • Chairman
      • Chairman Staff Directory
    • Office of the Labor Member
      • Labor Member of the Board
      • Labor Member Staff Directory
      • Pre-Retirement Seminars
      • Educational Materials
      • Questions and Answers
    • Office of the Management Member
      • Management Member of the Board
      • Management Member Staff Directory
      • 2024 Virtual National Rail Employer Training Seminar (NRETS) Registration (New)
    • Office of Inspector General
      • Office of Inspector General
      • Audit
      • Investigations
      • Hotline to Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse
      • Library
      • Whistleblower Protection Information
    • Organization Chart
  • Benefits
    • Retirement
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Survivor
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Disability
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Unemployment
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Sickness
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Income Tax
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Medicare
      • General Information
      • myRRB
    • En Español
    • myRRB
  • Employers
    • Employer Online Services
      • ERSNet Login
      • EFTPS.gov
      • Pay.gov
    • Forms
      • Rail
      • Labor
    • Reporting Instructions
      • Rail
      • Labor
      • Creditable Sickness
    • Publications
      • Employer Exchange Newsletter
      • Program and Circular Letters
      • Additional Information
  • Resources
    • Railroad Jobs
    • Legal Information
      • Board Orders
      • The Federal Register
      • Legal Opinions and Board Coverage Decisions
      • Partition of Railroad Retirement Annuities
      • Administrative Staff Manuals Index
    • Pay Debts Online
    • Office of Equal Opportunity
      • Overview
      • EEO Policies
      • No FEAR Act
    • RRBVision Video Library
    • Appeals
    • Railroad Retirement Handbook
    • FOIA Reading Room
    • Glossary of RRB Terms
  • Financial & Reporting
    • Agency Reports
      • Inventories
      • Plans
      • Reports
    • Financial, Actuarial & Statistical
      • Budget and Financial Reports: Current and Projected
      • Performance and Accountability Reports
      • Earnings Limits, Tax Rates and COLAs
      • Annual
      • Monthly & Quarterly RRA and RUIA Data
    • National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust
      • NRRIT Introduction
      • Background Information
      • Reports
      • Correspondence
    • Actuarial Advisory Committee
  • Newsroom
    • News Releases
    • Media Contact
  • Field Office Locator
  • FAQ

 

Social Security Benefits

 

 

 
  1. Home
  2. Employee Age and Service Annuities
  3. Reductions for Other Benefits
  4. Social Security Benefits
 
 

Topics

  • Overview
  • Applying for Your Annuity
  • When Your Annuity can Begin
  • Age Reductions For Employees Who Have Less Than 360 Months Service
  • Deductions for Earnings
  • Reductions for Other Benefits
    • Social Security Benefits
    • Non-Covered Service Pensions
    • Other Railroad Retirement Annuities
    • Worker's Compensation and Public Disability Benefits
  • Reductions for Other Federal Programs
  • After You Apply for Your Annuity
  • Important Notices
Social Security Benefits

 

If you are entitled to Social Security (SS) benefits based on any wage record, your Tier 1 component  will be offset for those SS benefits (before any withholding under the SS Act for your earnings over the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount). This is why your SS benefits may be certified to the RRB for payment. If you have already filed for your SS benefits, it is important to include the SS benefit information on your annuity application. This will help to prevent an overpayment of your annuity.

Annuity Based on at Least 120 Months of Railroad Service

Your railroad retirement application may be used to protect your filing date for SS benefits if you have not yet filed at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and will be entitled to the SS benefits within three months. This means the date you file your railroad retirement application can be used as the date you file for SS benefits. If you want to use your railroad retirement application to protect your filing date, the RRB representative will prepare Form RR-8 Notice of Protection of Filing Date for Social Security Benefits and send a copy to your local SSA office. The SSA office will contact you to secure an application for SS benefits.

Your railroad retirement application may protect your filing date, but it is not an application for SS benefits. You must file a separate application for those benefits at SSA.

In many cases, filing for SS benefits will not affect your total benefit rate, because of the deduction in your Tier 1 component. It is usually not to your advantage to apply for benefits at both agencies. It is a good idea to discuss this matter with an RRB representative before deciding to file for SS benefits. Contact your local RRB office for information about your situation before filing at SSA.

Annuity Based on 60-119 Months of Railroad Service With at Least 60 Months of Railroad Service After 1995

Your railroad retirement application is also deemed to be an application for any SS benefits that you may be entitled to on your own earnings record or the earnings record of your spouse.

 

‹ Reductions for Other Benefits | Up | Non-Covered Service Pensions ›

 

To view and download PDF documents, you need the free Acrobat Reader. We recommend using the latest version. Viewers with visual disabilities can go to Adobe's Access Website for tools and information that will help make PDF files accessible.
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
 
  
To view and download PDF documents, you need the free Acrobat Reader. We recommend using the latest version. Viewers with visual disabilities can go to Adobe's Access Website for tools and information that will help make PDF files accessible.
 
 
 
 
JobsRailroad Jobs
 
Hotline Fraud Hotline
RSSField Office Locator
 

 

 
 
RRB Seal
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
William O. Lipinski Federal Building
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-1275
Toll Free: (877) 772-5772
TTY: (312) 751-4701 

 

Privacy Policy
Policies & Links
Site Map
Contact Us
RRB Careers
Website Feedback

 

PlainLanguage.gov
Data.gov
USA.gov
RRB @ Data.gov

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Freedom of Information Act
No FEAR Act Data
Office of Special Counsel
Plain Writing @ RRB
Open Gov @ RRB
Office of Inspector General

 
 

Last updated: 05/16/2017