Get RRB G-88p 2014-2024

If it was determined that the applicant was entitled to disability benefits, the applicant would receive his or her first payment within 25 days of the date of the RRB's decision, or the earliest payment date, whichever was later.

Employers and employees covered by the Railroad Retirement Act pay higher retirement taxes than those covered by the Social Security Act. As a result, railroad retirement benefits are higher than social security benefits, especially for “career” employees (those employees who have 30 or more years of service).

If a RRB recipient is eligible for, and requests, Social Security benefits, the RRB reduces the Tier I annuity to account for the Social Security benefit and in most cases, there is no change in total monthly benefit payments.

In January 2023, the average regular railroad retirement employee annuity will increase $215 a month to $3,344 and the average of combined benefits for an employee and spouse will increase $304 a month to $4,838.

An employee with 25 years of service is offered a buyout with the option of either taking payment in a single lump sum, or receiving monthly payments until retirement age.

If an employee is receiving a railroad retirement disability annuity, the tier I portions of the employee and spouse annuities may, under certain circumstances, be reduced for receipt of workers' compensation or public disability benefits.

How much are the disability benefits currently awarded? Disabled railroad workers retiring directly from the railroad industry in fiscal year 2022 were awarded $3,495 a month on average while awards for disabled workers under social security averaged $1,555.

The first tier of a spouse annuity, before any applicable reductions, is 50 percent of the railroad employee's unreduced tier I amount. The second tier amount, before any reductions, is 45 percent of the employee's unreduced tier II amount.