Skip to main content

Search

Login
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
      • Informational Conference Program
      • Educational Materials
      • Questions and Answers
    • Office of the Management Member
      • Management Member of the Board
      • Management Member Staff Directory
    • 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
      • Benefit Online Services
    • Survivor
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • Benefit Online Services
    • Disability
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • Benefit Online Services
    • Unemployment
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • Benefit Online Services
    • Sickness
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • Benefit Online Services
    • Income Tax
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • Benefit Online Services
    • Medicare
      • General Information
      • Benefit Online Services
    • En Español
    • Benefit Online Services
  • 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
      • Filing A Complaint of Discrimination
      • No FEAR Act
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • RRBVision Video Library
    • Appeals
    • Genealogy
    • Railroad Retirement Handbook
    • 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
  • News Room
    • News Releases
    • Media Contact
  • Field Office Locator

 

Railroad Retirement Benefits to Increase in 2018

 

 

 
  1. Home
  2. News Room
  3. News Releases
  4. Railroad Retirement Benefits to Increase in 2018
 
 
Railroad Retirement Benefits to Increase in 2018
 October 2017
PDF Logo
NR1706.pdf (70.56 KB)

 

 

Most railroad retirement annuities, like social security benefits, are scheduled to increase in January 2018 on the basis of the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the third quarter of 2016 to the corresponding period of the current year.

Cost-of-living increases are calculated in both the tier I and tier II benefits included in a railroad retirement annuity. Tier I benefits, like social security benefits, will increase by 2.0 percent, which is the percentage of the CPI rise. Tier II benefits will go up by 0.7 percent, which is 32.5 percent of the CPI increase. Vested dual benefit payments and supplemental annuities also paid by the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) are not adjusted for the CPI change.

In January 2018, the average regular railroad retirement employee annuity will increase $42 a month to $2,711 and the average of combined benefits for an employee and spouse will increase $60 a month to $3,937. For those aged widow(er)s eligible for an increase, the average annuity will increase $24 a month to $1,353. However, widow(er)s whose annuities are being paid under the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001 will not receive annual cost-of-living adjustments until their annuity amount is exceeded by the amount that would have been paid under prior law, counting all interim cost-of-living increases otherwise payable. Some 50 percent of the widow(er)s on the RRB’s rolls are being paid under the 2001 law.

If a railroad retirement or survivor annuitant also receives a social security or other government benefit, such as a public service pension, the increased tier I benefit is reduced by the increased government benefit. Tier II cost-of-living increases are not reduced by increases in other government benefits. If a widow(er) whose annuity is being paid under the 2001 law is also entitled to an increased government benefit, her or his railroad retirement survivor annuity may decrease.
 
However, the total amount of the combined railroad retirement widow(er)’s annuity and other government benefits will not be less than the total payable before the cost-of-living increase and any increase in Medicare premium deductions.

The cost-of-living increase is the largest since 2012, and follows a tier 1 increase of 0.3 percent in January 2017. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to announce any Medicare Part B premium changes later this year, and information will be available then at Medicare.gov.

In late December the RRB will mail notices to all annuitants providing a breakdown of the annuity rates payable to them in January 2018.

#  #  #

 

Published by: Public Affairs | Phone: (312) 751-4777 | Email: opa@rrb.gov
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.
 
 
 
 
RSSEmail updates and RSS Feeds
JobsRailroad Jobs
 
HotlineFraud 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
Directory: (312) 751-4300

 

Privacy Policy
Policies & Links
Site Map
Contact Us
Website Feedback

 

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

 

Freedom of Information Act
No FEAR Act Data
Plain Writing @ RRB
Open Gov @ RRB
Office of Inspector General
 
 

Last updated: 10/31/2017