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Q&A: The Social Security Fairness Act and its Impact on Railroad Retirement Annuities

Q&A: The Social Security Fairness Act and its Impact on Railroad Retirement Annuities
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The Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA), which was signed into law on January 5, 2025, eliminates the reduction previously applied to the railroad retirement annuities or social security benefits of individuals who also receive pensions from work not covered by social security.

The following questions and answers describe how the SSFA impacts the computation of railroad retirement annuities and provide information related to the law’s implementation. 

  • Read more about Q&A: The Social Security Fairness Act and its Impact on Railroad Retirement Annuities

New Law Can Increase Payments to Recipients of Public Pensions

New Law Can Increase Payments to Recipients of Public Pensions
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The Social Security Fairness Act, signed by the President on January 5, 2025, will end two statutory reductions for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by social security. In cases where the reductions applied, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) reduced the tier-I amount of the individual’s railroad retirement annuity, which is a social security equivalent benefit, due to receipt of such a pension.

  • Read more about New Law Can Increase Payments to Recipients of Public Pensions

Q&A: Credit for Military Service under the Railroad Retirement Act

Q&A: Credit for Military Service under the Railroad Retirement Act
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Many railroad employees have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. Under certain conditions, their military service may be creditable as railroad service under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA).

The following questions and answers provide information on how military service may be credited towards railroad retirement annuities.

  • Read more about Q&A: Credit for Military Service under the Railroad Retirement Act

International Direct Deposit

International Direct Deposit

 

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International Direct Deposit Form

Optional Form 1199-I
June 2005

The Railroad Retirement Board offers International Direct Deposit (IDD) of benefit payments to beneficiaries residing in the following countries:

AlbaniaGermanyNigeria
GhanaGhanaNorway
AndorraGreeceOman
AnguillaGrenadaPakistan
Antigua & BarbudaGuatemalaPalau
ArgentinaGuineaPalestine
ArmeniaGuyanaPanama
ArubaHaitiPapua - New Guinea
AustraliaHondurasParaguay
AustriaHong KongPeru
AzerbaijanHungaryPhilippines
Bahama IslandsIcelandPoland
BahrainIndiaPortugal
BangladeshIndonesiaQatar
BarbadosIraqRomania
BelgiumIrelandRwanda
BelizeIsraelSaint Martin 
BermudaItalySamoa
BhutanJamaicaSan Marino
BoliviaJapanSaudi Arabia
BonaireJordanSenegal
Bosnia and HerzegovinaKazakhstanSerbia
BotswanaKenyaSeychelles
BrazilKuwaitSierra Leone
British Virgin IslandsKyrgyzstanSingapore
BruneiLaosSint Maarten
BulgariaLatviaSlovak Republic
Burkina FasoLebanonSlovenia
Cabo Verde/Cape VerdeLesothoSolomon Islands
CambodiaLiberiaSouth Africa
CameroonLibyaSouth Korea
CanadaLiechtensteinSpain
Cayman IslandsLithuaniaSri Lanka
ChileLuxembourgSt. Kitts and Nevis
ChinaMacaoSt. Lucia
ColombiaMacedoniaSt. Vincent and the Grenadines
ComorosMadagascarSudan
Congo (Republic of Congo)MalawiSuriname
Congo (Dem Rep of Congo)MalaysiaSweden
Costa RicaMaldivesSwitzerland
Cote D'IvoireMaliTaiwan
CroatiaMaltaTanzania
CuracaoMarshall IslandsThailand
CyprusMartiniqueTimor-Leste
Czech RepublicMauritaniaTogo
DenmarkMauritiusTonga
DijboutiMexicoTrinidad and Tobago
DominicaMicronesiaTunisia
Dominican RepublicMoldovaTurkey
EcuadorMonacoTurkmenistan
EgyptMongoliaTurks and Caicos Islands
El SalvadorMontenegroUganda
EritreaMontserratUkraine
EstoniaMoroccoUnited Arab Emirates
EthiopiaMyanmarUnited Kingdom
Fiji IslandsNauruUruguay
FinlandNepalVanuatu
FranceNetherlandsVietnam
French PolynesiaNew CaledoniaYemen
GabonNew ZealandZambia
GambiaNicaraguaZimbabwe
GeorgiaNiger 

As more countries meet the requirements of the Federal Reserve Bank and become eligible, the list of eligible countries will be updated.

IDD is Safe and Secure

IDD is much more secure than receiving your benefit by check. Mailed checks can be subject to loss, misrouting or even theft. Funds transferred through IDD are sent encrypted and arrive safely at your bank.

IDD and Currency

IDD puts your money directly into your local bank in local currency. If you reside in Canada and have a U.S. dollar account, you may elect to receive your payment electronically in U.S. dollars.

Note: This option is only available in Canada.

Enrollment in IDD

To sign up for International Direct Deposit, complete the enrollment form, OF 1199-I, and mail to:

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
Direct Deposit Specialist
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611

Make sure the form is completed accurately and signed. If your form is received and processed before the 15th of the month, your benefit payment will be sent to the new account beginning with the next month's payment.

If you currently have your benefit sent to a stateside financial institution, do NOT close that account until you have verified receipt at the new local bank. Otherwise, your benefit could be returned to the RRB, causing a delay.

With IDD, your money is deposited on the day you are scheduled to receive your benefit. For example, if your benefit is scheduled to be received on the third of the month, your money is available to you at the opening of the business day on the third. You can check with your bank to be sure that your money has been deposited.

If your IDD benefit is not in your account within the first three business days of the month, please call the Railroad Retirement Board at (877) 772-5772 to speak with a representative or, you may contact your servicing U.S. Embassy to report non-receipt. The U.S. Embassy will notify the RRB.

 

Published by: Policy and Systems | Email: webmaster@rrb.gov

Earnings Information Request

Earnings Information Request

 

  • Read more about Earnings Information Request

Railroad Retirement Handbook

Railroad Retirement Handbook

 

  • Read more about Railroad Retirement Handbook

Railroad Retirement and Survivor Benefits

Railroad Retirement and Survivor Benefits

 

  • Read more about Railroad Retirement and Survivor Benefits

Q&A: Annuitants May Need to Increase Tax Withholding at Age 62

Q&A: Annuitants May Need to Increase Tax Withholding at Age 62
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Certain portions of a railroad retirement annuity are treated differently for federal income tax purposes. The following questions and answers explain these differences and address the importance of individuals establishing accurate tax withholding from their annuities. Certain annuitants, including those retiring at age 60 with at least 30 years of service, and some occupational disability annuitants, need to pay close attention to changes in tax withholding when they turn age 62. 

  • Read more about Q&A: Annuitants May Need to Increase Tax Withholding at Age 62

Earnings Limits Increase for Railroad Retirees in 2026

Earnings Limits Increase for Railroad Retirees in 2026
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Railroad retirement annuitants subject to earnings restrictions can earn more in 2026 without having their benefits reduced due to increased limits indexed to average national wage increases.

  • Read more about Earnings Limits Increase for Railroad Retirees in 2026

Cost-of-Living Adjustment Will Increase Railroad Retirement Benefits

Cost-of-Living Adjustment Will Increase Railroad Retirement Benefits
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Most railroad retirement annuities, like social security benefits, will increase in January 2026 based on a rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the third quarter of 2024 to the corresponding period of the current year.

Cost-of-living increases are calculated in both the tier I and tier II portions of a railroad retirement annuity. The tier I portion, like social security benefits, will increase by 2.8 percent, which is the percentage of the CPI rise.

  • Read more about Cost-of-Living Adjustment Will Increase Railroad Retirement Benefits

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