Events That Must
Be Reported
- If you file for any social security benefits or if there is a change in
the amount of those benefits.
- If you file for a public service pension from a Federal, State or local
government.
- If there is a change in your earnings estimate.
- If you begin working for any railroad employer.
- If there is a change in your mailing address.
- If any person for whom you are receiving an annuity dies or leaves your
care.
- If you are receiving a disability annuity and your condition improves or
you become able to work.
- If there is a change in your marital status.
- If a qualifying child leaves your care, marries or dies.
- If there is a change in your school attendance.
Introduction
Rights to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act also carry
responsibilities for reporting events that may affect the payment of these
benefits.
This booklet describes the different events that will affect your survivor
annuity. You should be aware of these events and notify the Railroad Retirement
Board (RRB) immediately if any apply to you or someone you are receiving annuity
payments on behalf of.
The events you should report can affect:
- The amount of the monthly payment; or
- The total amount which can be paid during the year; or
- Whether we can continue to pay an annuity at all.
Keep this booklet handy and refer to it occasionally to see if you need to
report an event to the RRB. Failure to promptly notify the RRB can result in an
overpayment that could cause the annuity to be suspended, and may result in the
assessment of interest and penalties.
Responsibility For Reporting Events To The RRB
If you are receiving your own annuity, it is your responsibility to report
the events that affect your annuity. If you are receiving annuity payments on
behalf of someone who is unable to handle his or her own funds, you are
responsible for knowing if anything has happened which would affect that
person’s annuity and for making the necessary report to the RRB.
If You Fail To Report An Event
Failure to promptly notify the RRB can result in an overpayment that could
cause the annuity to be suspended and may result in the assessment of interest
and penalties. Failure to promptly report an event that results in an
overpayment will generally constitute "fault" on your part, requiring that the
overpayment be repaid.
How To Report An Event
If, at any time, you find that one of the conditions explained in this
booklet applies to you, you should immediately notify the RRB in writing. The
notice should be sent to the nearest RRB field office. However, if you wish, you
may also call or visit that office. If you need to personally visit one of our
field offices, please call for an appointment. You will not be refused service
if you do not have an appointment, but RRB representatives can serve you better
if an appointment is made.
Most RRB offices are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. To find the RRB office nearest you, call the toll-free
RRB HelpLine at 1-800-808-0772 or visit our Web site at http://www.rrb.gov.
Information To Include When Reporting An Event
When you report an event, be sure to include the following information in
your letter:
- Your railroad retirement claim number. This number can be found at the top of
your application receipt or on any correspondence from the RRB;
- the railroad employee’s name;
- your name (or the annuitant's name if you are reporting an event for someone
else);
- your address and daytime telephone number;
- a clear explanation of what event you are reporting;
- the exact date (month, day, year) that the event occurred; and
- the name of your employer and your estimated earnings for the year if you are
reporting work.
Events To Be
Reported
The following sections describe the effect certain events will have on your
annuity.
If You Receive Social Security Benefits
The Tier 1 portion of a survivor annuity is reduced by the amount of any
social security benefit you receive. When you file for social security benefits,
the Social Security Administration will decide if you are entitled to receive
benefits and compute the amount of the benefit which is payable.
Usually, the actual payment will be made by the RRB and will be combined with
your regular monthly railroad retirement payment. If you begin to receive a
separate social security payment, you should notify your local RRB office
immediately. It is your responsibility to notify us. Do not rely on the Social
Security Administration to tell us about your benefits.
You should also notify the RRB if you are receiving separate social security
payments and these benefits are adjusted for a reason other than a normal
cost-of-living increase.
If You Receive A Public Service Pension
In most situations, the Tier 1 portion of a survivor annuity is reduced by
the amount of any public service pension payments which you are entitled to
receive. A public service pension is the retirement pay you receive because you
worked for the Federal Government of the United States, a state government or
any political subdivision of a state, such as a city, county, town, village or
school. If you start to receive a public service pension, you must notify the
RRB.
The RRB should also be notified if there are any changes in the amount of the
public service pension you are receiving or if you are offered the opportunity
to receive a public service pension payment, but you choose to receive a
one-time payment instead of monthly payments.
Work Outside The Railroad Industry
Work outside the railroad industry may affect your annuity payments. Whenever
you expect your earnings for any year to be more than the annual earnings exempt
amount, you must notify the nearest RRB office promptly. If you do not notify us
promptly, you may be paid more than you are due and have to refund the
overpayment. Refer to Form
G-77, "How Earnings Affect Payment of Survivor
Annuities", for the annual earnings exempt amounts.
If the previous earnings estimate you furnished should change, immediately
notify the nearest RRB office. For example, if you stop working or you realize
you will not earn as much as you previously reported, or you work more hours and
will increase your income.
You must continue to report earnings over the annual earnings exempt amount
until you attain full retirement age. Refer to Booklet
RB-17, "Survivor Annuities", for a complete explanation of full retirement
age.
Earnings
In general, earnings restrictions apply to gross earnings from employment and
net earnings from self-employment. If your earnings are from an employer covered
under the Social Security Act, the amount of earnings you should report is the
amount reported for social security (FICA) tax. Net earnings from
self-employment equal the amount of gross income minus expenses that were
reported for social security tax under the Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA).
Add your earnings from employment and self-employment together to determine the
total earnings for the year.
Do not include as "earnings" any money that you received for any reason other
than work, such as interest from savings, income investments, gifts,
inheritances, buy-outs, pensions or other retirement benefits.
For any year in which you will not attain full retirement age, you will lose
$1 in benefits for every $2 of earnings over the annual exempt amount. For the
year in which you attain full retirement age, you will lose $1 in benefits for
every $3 of earnings over the exempt amount. Beginning with the month in which
you actually attain full retirement age, earnings restrictions no longer apply.
If you work outside the United States for 45 or more hours in a month and do
not pay FICA or SECA taxes for this work, you will lose part of your annuity
regardless of the amount of money you earn.
Work In The Railroad Industry
You cannot be paid an RRB survivor benefit for any month in which you worked
for a railroad or other employer in the railroad industry. This applies no
matter how old you are or how much money you earn from that work. You must
notify the RRB immediately if you go to work for the railroad industry.
Change Of Address
To avoid a delay in receiving your check or important information, notify the
nearest RRB office immediately if you change your address. It is important to
report all changes to the RRB even if your payments are sent directly to a
financial institution. Even if you are on direct deposit, the RRB still keeps
your home mailing address on record. This mailing address is used to send any
material other than your payments to you (such as notices of cost-of-living
increases, Medicare information, new annual earnings exempt amounts, and tax
statements). If you do not report your change of address and your payments are
on direct deposit, the RRB cannot be responsible for any important information
that you do not receive.
To notify the RRB of a change of address, write or call your local RRB office
and provide the following information:
- Your RRB claim number;
- your name;
- your new address;
- your old address; and,
- the date you will start receiving mail at the new address.
If The Annuitant Dies
An annuity is not payable for the month of death. It is therefore important
to promptly notify your local RRB office if the annuitant dies. If a check is
received after the date of death, it must be returned to the local office or to
the Treasury Department address on the envelope. If a direct deposit payment is
made after the date of death, you should be aware that the financial institution
is required to remove the amount and return it to the Treasury Department when
they receive notice of death. While we realize that this is a stressful time,
the prompt reporting of the death of the annuitant will prevent the added stress
of erroneous payments.
If Your Disability Improves Or You Are
Able To Return To Work
If you are disabled and your condition improves, or your doctor tells you
that you are able to work, or you return to work, you should promptly tell the
nearest RRB field office. These changes in your status can affect your
entitlement to a disability annuity.
If An Annuitant’s Marital Status Changes
Or A Qualifying Child Leaves Your Care
If you are receiving a survivor annuity, you must notify the nearest RRB
office if you or a child in your care marries after beginning to receive an
annuity. The marriage of a survivor annuitant may cause either the annuity to
terminate or the amount of the annuity to change. Also, if your annuity is based
on having a minor or disabled child in your care, your annuity will end when the
child leaves your care, marries or is no longer disabled.
School Attendance
If you are a child who is receiving a student's annuity, you must immediately
notify the RRB if any of the following events occur:
- You change schools;
- you stop attending school and you do not intend to resume full-time
attendance within the next four months;
- you are temporarily not attending school full-time and you had originally
intended to return to full-time attendance within four months, but you find
you will not be returning to school or your return will be delayed;
- you reduced your school attendance to less than full-time, or less than 20
hours per week; or
- you start attending school at the request of, or as a requirement of, an
employer.
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